Drifting Snowflakes
by Alrynnas
Summary: A collection of some one-shots that I've written for RotG, more importantly, Jack Frost (though the other Guardians will make appearances in some). A description for each one is inside. Some are human Jack, others are Guardian Jack. Fluffiness will ensue. Please enjoy! Rating T for one upcoming one-shot, though most could be rated K. Jack FrostXOC.
1. Feel The Warmth

**A/N:** Hello and welcome to my little collection of Jack Frost/OC one-shots. These started because, since before seeing the movie, I really wanted to write some stuff, but did not want to start the major RotG fic that I now have planned. Each chapter is a different story, unrelated to the rest unless noted differently by me. Each will have their own internal description, so read what you feel you might enjoy!

So this first one was the first one I wrote, before I even saw the movie, and before I had a specific RotG-based OC in mind, so I used a character I had made for a Final Fantasy story of mine: Niveus. (For anyone who's happened to read the story containing her on here, enjoy the crossover xD otherwise it doesn't really matter! This is the only one to have her in it, but I still wanted to share.) There's not too much that needs to be explained for this one, just one of those chance-meeting stories with the Guardian of Fun. Post-movie.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians or its characters.

* * *

**Feel The Warmth**

Niveus stared up at the cloudless night sky as she continued on her walk. It was times like this she just needed a small breather from life at home. Going for walks helped to clear her head, especially at night. She breathed in deep the air, savouring the scents of nature that drifted on the wind.

The sound of laughter drew her from her thoughts. She had never come across anyone else this far out at night. Quickly, she ducked down, fearing for the worst. But as she heard more of the laughter, she decided that it was not something to be scared of. Crouching, she crawled forward towards the laughter, curiosity drawing her in.

In the distance, she saw someone simply playing around and having fun by themselves. A boy, judging from the sound of the laughter, since she could not see him that well in the darkness. But, more than anything, it was his location that confused her. Up ahead where the boy goofed around was a small pond. While not all that big, it was a fairly deep one. And yet the boy was not playing in the water, but rather _on_ it. Her pale eyes tracked the man as he nearly danced across the surface.

Such a feat was impossible. It could not physically happen. This was the start of fall. Frost had even yet to come, and even so, the pond never froze thick enough to allow a person's weight along the center of it during winter. Niveus closed her eyes and shook her head. Blinking, she stared back out towards the lake and the person playing on it. Only now, he was staring right back.

Gasping, Niveus threw herself down onto the ground. Breathing hard, she waited several long minutes before she dared peek her head back up to stare down at the pond and watch as the boy skated across it with ease. Shimmers of light danced out from his feet, glowing in the moonlight before fading away into the rest of the light that rested on the surface of the water. Niveus quietly watched him, trying to study him and discern whether or not he could be considered friendly or not. Which was a hard feat from actions alone, but it was a start.

He continued to dance across the surface, physics appearing to hold no boundary over him. His clothing, while dark, somehow glistened in the moonlight. In his hand was a gnarled staff that he used to help push him across the surface of the water and perform acrobatic moves. But that was not what struck her as most odd. That award went to the head of hair he had that shone in the night's light. A frigid silver, it was the easiest part of him to see. Niveus could not help her mouth from dropping ajar for a moment as her hand instinctively went up to the bonnet on her head.

Swallowing, she mustered what courage she could find and started down for the lakeside as quietly as possible, hoping that the boy would not notice her with how busy he was. Closer and closer she got, sticking to the shadows where ever she could. Eventually, she made it to the lake and called out, "How are you doing that?"

The boy, surprised, looked over his shoulder at her, lost his footing, and was sent tumbling into the near bank of the pond.

Niveus gasped lightly. Whoever he was, it had not been her intent to cause him harm. Now if he ended up asking for it, then that would have been a whole different issue. Still, for now, she merely hurried across the land towards where he had fallen. She kept her distance, for as curious as she was, she was still uncertain about his nature. The boy groaned and pushed himself up from the bank, making sure to keep the hood of his sweater securely on his head.

The boy, a teenager around the same age as Niveus from his looks, stared at her. Niveus stared back. There was as much wonder on his face as there was hers.

"You...can see me?" he finally asked, narrowing his gaze in a befuddled manner.

Niveus' own face scrunched up. Out of all the things for him to say as his first words to her, that was it? "Yes?" she responded back tentatively.

"Huh." the teenager shrugged and stood up, finally looking away from her. Niveus let out a small sigh of relief with their gazes now unlocked. There had been something about his eyes that sent her on-edge. As she still watched him, he dusted off his hoodie and pants, that gnarled staff of his still in hand. It was not like any sort of functional cane she had seen before, nor did it appear he needed one. But yet a more baffling aspect of him arose: he wore no shoes. "Didn't expect someone like you to see me," he remarked before she could dwell on the matter for too long.

"Someone like me?" she repeated. Niveus stiffened at the comment, her expression falling slightly.

As her mood fell, the boy's was only able to grow more confused. "Just didn't think someone like yourself would believe in all this."

That caught Niveus' attention. "Believe in what?"

The blue eyes of the boy stared into her pale ones again. Niveus shifted slightly. He blinked. She blinked. He burst out laughing. She remained silent and frowned. "Ahahah, how cute. Always fun to cross paths with an unknowing believer."

Niveus' face scrunched in both confusion and frustration. "Believe in _what_?" she tried again.

The teenager stopped laughing and started to walk towards her. Raising his free hand, he gestured to the area around them. "Do you know what brings the the winter cold and snow?"

She stared at him in disbelief. He certainly had an odd arsenal of questions up his sleeve. After scrunching her face up for a second, Niveus let out a brief sigh. "It gets cold because our part of the Earth is tilted away from the sun at this point, and so we don't get as much sunlight or...warmth..."

A loud and obnoxious snort escaped the teenager. "Wow. You've got quite the lacking imagination for one who believes. Are you _sure_ you can see me?" Raising his arms, he studied his own body and the clothes that lightly shimmered in the moonlight hanging from his rather wiry frame. Smirk tugging at his lips, he then waved a hand in front of Niveus' vision. The small action caused her frown to only deepen. "Try again." He tossed the gnarled staff between his hands. "What brings the winter cold and snow?"

Niveus stared at him unamused. Just what sort of games was he playing? She just watched him a moment longer, studying those blue eyes that were like the depths of a glacier. His features were also rather sharp and...cold.

"Temperatures drop, allowing water to freeze and become tiny flakes of ice that then blanket the land."

He stared at her. She stared back. He frowned. She frowned more. This little pattern between them was starting to annoy her.

Shrugging, he planted the staff firmly on the ground and leaned against it. "Well, that's a _little_ better. I guess someone with enough talent could at least turn that into some sort of poetry." With a heavy sigh, he tried again, "What brings the winter cold and snow?"

"What is with you and this riddle?" she asked back, trying to keep from sounding too harsh. "I've answered your question, _twice_, of what brings the winter."

An amused laugh escaped him. "All right, all right. Guess I'll have to help guide you to the answer after all." Smirking, he tapped the staff he still held over his shoulder. "_Who_, then, brings the winter cold and snow?"

That caused Niveus to only become more confused. "N-no one," she answered tentatively.

"Oh? Really now?" Tapping the staff against his shoulder, the teenager began to circle around her. Niveus held her arms closer to her body, almost feeling like she was being hunted. "Sure that's your _final_ answer?"

Niveus swallowed nervously. It was a silly idea, and yet... "Well, I guess there's one person...being, whatever, that is supposed to bring winter."

Stopping in front of her, the teenager looked at her, waiting for a proper answer. "Mhmm. Go on."

"Jack Frost. He's said to be the one that brings the first signs of winter."

"And a point for the lady!" Raising his arms into the air, the teenager gave her rather mocking applause and cheers. "Took you long enough. I thought I was going to fade from your view! Though, a bit more is done than just starting winter, really." His laughter dying away, the teenager placed a hand on his hip. Blinking some more times, he leaned in towards Niveus. "Y'know, your face'll freeze like that if you hold that expression much longer."

Expression still scrunched up in confusion, Niveus only stared at him right back. "What does Jack Frost have to do with anything? Winter's still a couple months away."

A heavy, disappointed sigh escaped him as he shook his head. "All right, I guess we should back-track a little here and start with proper introductions." Raising a hand, the teenager slipped back his blue hood. Niveus gasped slightly. His hair was a stunning silver, just like she had seen earlier. Staring at his hair, she barely heard what he said next: "Hi. I'm Jack Frost."

Niveus could not respond. She could only continue to stare at his hair. A rather loud cough from Jack caused her to startle and actually see his unamused expression. Patience did not appear to be one of his virtues. Those glacial eyes of his glanced down before settling back on her. She followed his gaze and mumbled out an apology as she took his outstretched hand.

"Niveus Lucia," she responded softly, not able to bring her gaze back up. Though her voice was soft, her handshake was surprisingly firm. Jack blinked a little, staring at their hands before ending the greeting.

"Odd..." he murmured, flexing his hand in front of his face as if to gauge whether or not anything was wrong with it.

"What's odd?"

"Ah! Nothing!" Jack quickly waved aside the matter with his hand, forcing a smile across his face. Her expression made it clear she did not believe him, and so he quickly tried to find a new topic: "So... Niveus, huh? That's a nice name. You know what it means?"

"Yeah..." She answered slowly. The idea that he truly was _the_ Jack Frost was still lost on her. It felt more like a practical joke rather than anything else. As silence fell between them, Jack slowly arched an eyebrow. That simple expression bore into her until she could take no more. "It means 'white'," she finally responded in a quick breath, hoping now it would make him go away, or at least stop pestering her with questions.

The silver-haired teenager sniffed lightly, rather disapprovingly too. Frowning, he pulled back from her slightly, as though his plan of amusement was ruined.

Niveus narrowed her eyes slightly. Two could play at this game. "What does _your_ name mean then?"

His face deadpanned. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Niveus remained completely stern, crossing her arms as she waited for a real answer.

"I'm _Jack Frost_! I bring the first signs of ice and snow that comes with winter! That nip of cold you feel? That's me. Those snow days you'd get in school? Also my doing. You're welcome, by the way." He threw up his arms in exasperation. "What more of a meaning do you need?"

"Then prove it." At her challenge, Jack scowled. Letting out a low whistle, he turned back towards the pond.

"You know, for someone who's a believer, you're _really_ making this difficult. Lucky for you, I don't mind showing off." Stopping by the edge of the pond, the silver-haired teenager raised his staff into the air. But it was there he paused. Niveus watched, and waited...and waited some more. For showing off, he certainly was not doing much. At last, he did do something, but that was merely craning his head around and gesturing for her to come. "Get _over_ here."

Rolling her eyes, Niveus trudged down to the edge of the pond beside him. Only once she was settled did Jack smirk and then lowered his gnarled staff. The end of it slammed onto the water. Niveus blinked. She did not mishear anything, the staff had slammed down, only the pond's surface was no longer water.

Tendrils of frost fanned out across the surface of water. The sudden cold creeped up the edge of the bank as well, threatening to consume Niveus' footwear. But the majestic effect stayed mostly contained to the pond, transforming more and more of it into a solid. Crackling filled the air as the ice also travelled deeper and deeper into the pond's water, making all of it a solid piece of massive ice. A laugh from Jack filled the air once the spell had finished.

"There. That _proof_ enough for you?"

"Oh yeah." Niveus swallowed, her throat going dry. "That's plenty of proof."

There was a hopeful look to Jack's face. "Really?"

"Proof that I'm hallucinating."

_Donk_.

"Ow!" Niveus rubbed the top of her head, quickly glaring first at Jack's gnarled staff and then at him. "What'd you hit me with your cane for?!"

"First of all, it's a staff. Not a cane. Second, seeing as you like your proof, I needed to show you that this is all real! It's not a dream! You're awake!"

"I didn't say I was _dreaming_, I said I was _hallucinating_."

He shrugged nonchalantly, stepping out onto the ice. "Whatever." Niveus kept her hand on her sore head as she stared at his bare feet. Where a normal person would be hopping around in freezing pain, or worse, completely stuck to the ice, he began to move around as though he were wearing skates. Sliding around on the ice, he eventually neared the bank again. Smirk gone, he stared at Niveus. "Well?"

A deep sigh escaped her. "So...you're Jack Frost."

"Yep."

"_The_ Jack Frost."

"You got it."

Tentatively, she stepped onto the ice. It creaked under her weight, but otherwise remained steady. Raising a foot, she tapped it onto the frozen surface, studying the fern-like patterns that were now engraved like intentional designs. With a push of her feet, she began to slide around. Her movements were no where near as graceful as Jack's, but she was managing fairly well for only shoes. Circling around Jack, she came to a stop and stared at him. He stared right back, leaning against his staff as he waited for some sort of confirmation.

"I guess I can work with this."

A small smile began to tug at his lips. Not a smirk like the times before, but a smile. It lasted only a second before he burst our laughing. A strong gust of wind blew up, flecks of snow dancing on the breeze. Jaw dropping open, she watched as Jack leaped up into the air, flew around a few times for good measure, and came back down in front of Niveus, still floating in the air.

Startled from having him drop right down in front of her, she toppled back, the ice hurting her rear. No cry of discomfort escaped her, for she had other things to worry about. "You can _fly_?"

"How else would I get around so fast to bring all the ice and snow?" He arched an eyebrow at her. Clearly it seemed like the most obvious thing in the world to him. "Here." Holding out his staff, he helped Niveus get back to her feet.

Shaking her head to stop herself from gawking, Niveus held onto the end of his staff tightly. Seeing ice spontaneously form, and a teenager flying in one night was starting to make her head spin. Slowly, without any effort on her part, she began to slide across the ice. A chuckle escaped Jack as he started to pull her along the slippery surface, slow at first until gradually he began to build up more and more speed.

Soon, Niveus could not hold back her laughter. It was just too much fun. Jack switched from the air back to the surface of the ice, dancing across it like she had seen him do so earlier. With his help, she managed to perform some moves she had never done before. Skating was not one of her strong points. She enjoyed the activity, but she was often very slow and always afraid of falling. With him here, she did not worry so much.

"Watch out!"

Niveus' foot collided with part of a branch that had been sticking above the surface of the ice. Her grip released from the staff, and she was sent stumbling across the slippery surface, unable to regain her footing. It was taking all of her strength just to stay upright as she headed straight for the edge of the pond...

...and fell into a pile of deep snow.

Popping her head back up, Niveus sputtered a bit. The frozen water clung to her face.

"Well, there's the other meaning of your name! 'Snowy'!" Niveus blinked, turned herself over, and stared at a floating Jack. He suddenly burst out laughing once he saw her face and all the snow plastered on it. Even she could not help but chuckle as she began to wipe the substance off. It was only when her laughter died down did she notice his had stopped a fair bit sooner. Growing concerned, she stared up at him. "Your hair..." he breathed, floating closer.

Niveus' eyes grew wide. Reaching up, she felt her bonnet had fallen off during her crash into the snow. Locks of white hair danced free. Unlike Jack's, which was more like the silvery light from the moon, hers was like the freshly fallen snow around her.

His bare feet settled on the ground right before her. The white-haired girl tried to inch back into the snow as much as she could, not liking the look he was giving her. She never liked how much attention her white hair could get. Dyes wouldn't work on it, and so it was stuck white. It had been white for...well, since she had been born.

Slowly, Jack reached out. She could move back no further, and so his hand brushed off what snow rested on her white hair. Glacial eyes shifted from the top of her head to her own pale orbs. A wide smile broke out across Jack's face.

"I like it." Niveus felt her face flush. "It suits you." Waving his staff in the air, more powdery snow settled around them. "Really suits you," he chuckled. But his chuckling stopped and he frowned. "Aren't you getting cold in the snow?"

That caused Niveus' look of uncertainty to become an emotionless mask. Silently, she allowed herself to fall back against the soft snow. It made room for her body, compacting together, but some also settled into her clothes. To her, all she felt was the edges of her clothing getting wet from what snow that melted lightly around her.

"I'm sorry," she finally murmured.

"Sorry for what?" Brow knotting together, Jack settled down in the snow next to her.

"Every year, Jack Frost brings the cold," she started. "Every year, Jack Frost brings what I cannot feel. Every year...Jack Frost reminds me what's wrong with me." Expression solemn, she shifted her head to look up at Jack, who was looking rather perplexed. "I only believe in you...because I hate you."

Jack was silent. His wide eyes gave away his stunned feeling. Brow knotting together, he voicelessly asked her the only question that could come to mind: Why?

"Jack Frost allowed me someone I could be angry at, rather than just being passive about the matter all the time. Making everything cold when I cannot feel it... Believe me, if there was someone who brought the summer heat, I would probably hate them too." She looked away, feeling bad. It had never been her intent to hate an actual person...or sprite, spirit, whatever it was Jack Frost really was. "For that...I'm sorry... No one deserves blind hatred."

"You..." began Jack. Niveus closed her eyes and braced herself for some angered response before he stormed off. But that was not what happened. "You can't feel the cold? Or the warmth?"

Parting her eyes after shaking her head, the pale woman looked back over to Jack. That expression across his icy face... It was not pity, which made her glad. She never wanted anyone's pity. No, his face was a mix of concern and what looked like intrigue.

"What...what it's like?"

Niveus gave a light shrug. "I can't really say. It is...what it is. With not knowing what hot or cold feels like, I have nothing to compare it to." Not feeling was not so bad, over all. Whenever she saw others shivering in the cold or sweltering in the intense heat, she could find some relief. But still...part of her wanted to know, even if it was for a day.

Brow knotting together pensively, Jack's mouth formed a thin line. Gears were working inside his head. Once an idea clicked, Niveus felt her foot move. And move again. Arching an eyebrow, she looked down to see Jack's bare foot nudging against her own. At his touch, frost began to creep across her shoe.

"Feel that?"

"You nudging me? Yeah." For good measure, she nudged him right back.

Jack smirked and rolled his eyes. "The cold, silly. Do you feel any cold?"

Niveus frowned lightly. "No."

"How about now?"

Fingers took a hold of her hand. Not sure how to react, she watched as Jack pressed his hand right up against hers, spreading out her fingers with his. His pale skin pressed against hers, the only difference being that his almost glowed in the moonlight. A frown etched itself deeper across her face. Still nothing. There was no cold, or even warmth. Everything was just the same as it was before. About to tell him that his efforts were futile, Niveus glanced back up to Jack when her voice then became caught in her throat.

His glacial eyes were not looking at her, but rather their hands. Gaze full of wonder, he did not even allow himself to blink. How long had it been since he had been able to touch someone without them reeling away from the cold? Had he ever been able to do such a thing? Jack just continued to stare, sadness beginning to creep across his face like frost crawling across the land. Every light move he made with his hand, he made sure to keep Niveus' right up against his. She watched as his fingers slowly weaved through her own and grasped her hand. Uncertain of what to do next, Niveus' forming thoughts were rushed from her mind as though a strong winter wind had blown them all away.

Blinking several times, she could not comprehend the face that was suddenly in front of hers, those silver strands of hair beginning to obscure her vision more so than her own white hair. Everything was in a buzz as her mind began to now reel, new feelings rushing through. Was this what the cold felt like? Or was this actually warmth people spoke of? Was it even a temperature? Whatever it was, Niveus finally managed to close her eyes and enjoy whatever feelings were brought to her from the unexpected kiss.

Parting from her, Jack slowly opened his glacial eyes in time to see a cloud of breath form in front of Niveus' mouth. That little side-effect made him chuckle, causing Niveus' pale eyes to flutter open.

"So..." he murmured, nearly nipping at her nose. "Did you feel anything then?"

"It-it was...was..." she began to fumble, at a loss for words. How could she begin to describe it? Jack continued to hover above her, those eyes of his that bore into her own making it harder and harder for her to think now. "It was..." A smile graced her lips. "Warm."

What had been a peaceful expression was quickly shattered and replaced by one of confusion. The spirit of winter involuntarily pulled back. "Warm?" he repeated, eyebrows furrowing. Niveus nodded. "Niveus. I'm _Jack Frost_. I bring the _cold_! Not warmth."

Niveus merely continued to smile and shook her head. "Can't be. Whenever people describe them, cold is always seen as less desirable, something they don't want. But the warmth... The right amount of warmth is wonderful and feels great; they always want to stay at that level of warmth, that level of perfection." She tilted her head at him, a playful smirk beginning to break out. "So that's why that was warm."

Jack blinked at her a few times before he began to chuckle. That chuckle melted into a laugh. Sighing in content, he flicked Niveus' nose playfully. "I think you're the only one to ever say that I can bring some warmth."

"Well, I do have a different take on warm and cold than most people." For the first time, not being able to feel the cold or warmth did not seem so bad. It had opened up a new experience for her, and a new sense of feeling. However, her smile began to falter. "Now, I may not feel the cold...but would you mind letting me up? My back's getting all soaked and it's not comfortable."

* * *

Niveus closed the door to her room behind her. Such an eventful night...and an odd one at that. It still felt like a dream. A good dream in the end, at least. Before she could even begin to get ready for bed, a crackling noise filled the air. Breath escaping from her mouth began to cloud before her, signalling the temperature in the room had dropped. Looking over to her window, she saw frost beginning to spread out across it in brilliant fern patterns. Had that been the first thing she saw during the night, she would have been rather unsettled to say the least. But, after the events from earlier, she hurried to her window and threw it open.

Wind gushed at her, causing her to temporarily avert her gaze. It played with her loose white hair, throwing snowflakes onto it.

"So," started a familiar voice. Smiling, she looked up to see Jack floating in the air just outside her window. His gnarled staff rested over his shoulders as he stared at her inquisitively. "Still hate me?"

Niveus blushed in embarrassment, rubbing the back of her neck. With a smile, she shook her head. "Not at all."

"Oh?" Jack drifted closer. "What changed your mind?" That smirk from earlier danced across his thin lips.

"Because. You made me feel."

"Glad I could help," he grinned. "Now, I want you to remember one important thing for me." Blocked by the window, Jack leaned his head in as far as he could to remove the distance between himself and Niveus. "Every year when Jack Frost brings the ice and snow...and you feel a _warm_ winter wind nipping at your nose..." Glacial eyes flashing, Jack erased what little distance remained between them and kissed her softly on the lips. Niveus melted into it, the warmth that only he could bring seeping through her again.

"That's me."


	2. Finding Your Way

**A/N:** The second one-shot I wrote. This was the first one with my RotG OC, Seren Normund. She is a star, more specifically, she is meant to be the North Star (she just never liked the names humans gave her hah). Some background info that applies to her in each of the stories: stars have roles. There are the wishing stars, then others like guiding stars (as a guiding star, Seren doesn't deal in the matter of wish-granting). Stars can also take little vacations on their planet of choice. So enjoy this little story of her visiting Jack's town back when he was human. Because I just really wanted to write something for Jackson hahah.

Oh yes, while I've seen several different names used for Jack's sister, the one I liked most was Emma, and so I've stuck with it for the one-shots. If it ever ends up being confirmed as something else, I'll see to changing it.

* * *

**Finding Your Way**

Jack looked down to the left. Nothing but forest that faded off into the darkness of the night. He looked down to the right. Still nothing but the rest of the forest. Jack swallowed nervously before biting his lower lip. How had this happened? It was just meant to be a simple day out for fun and games, no different than any other. But night had settled much faster than he expected—time always flies when there is a lot of fun. And with all the fun and games—and his pranks—time had flown by like it was nothing.

"Jack?" A small hand tugged on his sleeve. Blinking, he looked down to see the wide eyes of his sister staring up at him. She swallowed nervously, those bright eyes of hers waiting for a response expectantly. "Are we lost?" Her voice, soft and uncertain, cut right through him like it always could. It was time to play a prank on her, but one that he hoped would make her feel better.

"No, no, no," he chuckled, kneeling down. Putting on a smile, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We're not lost, Emma. No, not a all." His younger sister narrowed her eyes. Of course she would not believe him so easily. He was always playing pranks on her, often to see her smile and laugh, but it did have his drawbacks—having Emma believe him without a doubt was a difficult task at times. "We're just taking the scenic route."

Emma smiled for a moment, a part of her believing, but then her eyes darted to the side. She looked to the left, saw the same trees and darkness. She looked to the right and saw more of the same trees and darkness. "But, Jack, it's _dark_."

"So?" Jack reached out and plucked a nearby flower. Even in the darkness, its colour could still be seen. "There are still things to see."

"But...but..." Her voice became even smaller. Her hand reached out and grabbed his. For such a little girl, she could have a strong grip when needed.

"But what?" he asked back, concerned. He hated seeing his sister look so worried. His warm hand squeezed hers in comfort.

"But I'm scared of the dark, Jack... It's so dark right now... Not even the moon is out."

Jack's dark eyes glanced up. Through the leaves of the trees, he could see that she was right. It was a dark sky tonight. No moon. Not even a sliver was there to light their way. He frowned lightly. It was bad enough having her scared of being lost, he did not need her being scared of the dark right now too.

"You're right," he admitted. She squeezed his hand tighter upon hearing that. "But there's still light up there."

Emma blinked, a shred of hope coming back into her gaze. "Where?"

A warm chuckle escaped the older brother. "Look. See that? Through the clouds?" Raising a hand, he guided her gaze up to the night sky. Peeking out through the scattered clouds was not the moon, not even a sliver of its shadow or light, but rather little specks that always blanketed the night sky. They shimmered, some brighter and some fainter, but all could be seen against the velvety night. "The stars are still there. See?" Emma's hold on his hand loosened in comfort. "There's always...light..."

His voice trailed off as he rose back up. How could he have been so stupid? There was always one way to help find his way home in the night: the north star. Eyes gazed up, searching for that bright star that always shone in the night, a guide for all those who knew where to look. Once he knew which way was north, he could find their way home.

"I wish we could find our way home..." muttered Emma lightly.

"What was that?"

"I made a wish! It's what you're meant to do with stars!"

Jack chuckled and ruffled her hair lightly. "Don't worry. I'm sure your wish will come true." Wanting to not let down his word, he looked back up to the night sky. But, no matter where he looked, he could not see the north star. What cloud cover there was mixed in with all the trees made it impossible to find constellations or the bright light that could guide them home. None of the stars that glinted past the clouds were bright enough to be the one star he needed. He frowned in disappointment.

"Jack...?" asked Emma again. What comfort had been there was fading away.

"Come on, it's this way," he lied. It was as good a direction as any. And, even if it did not lead them home, then it would just as likely lead them outside the forest. There, without the trees to block their view, maybe then he could find the north star. Taking her hand, Jack started off through the forest, making sure he seemed confident when really he was rather unsure. Getting his sister worried or in trouble in any way was never something he wanted.

The darkness felt like it was closing in on them, but he continued onward. He would keep her safe from any shadows that dared to threaten her.

"What's that?" asked Emma, tugging at his sleeve again. Coming to a stop, Jack looked down to see his sister pointing off in the distance. There was a glint of light. It flickered for a moment before becoming lost behind the trees. "Maybe it's someone who can help us!" Before he could stop her, Emma ran off towards the light. In this darkness, it had looked like a a beacon of hope.

"Emma! Emma, wait!" he called after her. Despite her short legs, she could move rather fast. Jack chased after her, not wanting to lose her in the darkness as well as their location. "Hold on!" He rushed through the trees after her until he nearly toppled over her when she had stopped suddenly. "Emma, don't run off like that...!" Jack looked up. "Again..."

"Hi!" cheered Emma, rushing away from Jack a second time that night. Babbling incoherently for her to stop, Jack failed once again to keep his sister by his side. This was not his night for being the older protective brother. "Are you lost too?"

"No," answered the woman standing before them. She smiled down at Emma warmly and shook her head.

Jack just stared at the woman. Though a stranger, he did not worry with having his sister be near her. Golden locks tumbled down her shoulders. Her clothing was...odd, to say the least. Different, and yet pretty. The gold and white of the fabric almost shone in the darkness. When she looked up, Jack felt himself swallow. Golden eyes met his warm chocolate ones.

"H-hi..." He felt the greeting slip past his tongue without any conscious thought on his part.

The woman smiled at him. "Hello." Before any more words could slip from his mouth without a filter and ruin the moment, she squatted down before Emma. "So are you two lost?"

"No, no, no," repeated Jack, waving his hands in protest.

"Yes!" Emma's voice was loud and clear. Huffing, she gave her brother a disgruntled look.

"_Weeeeellll_... Yeah, all right."

A soft chuckle escaped the woman as she rose. "Do you need help finding your way?"

"You can help us?" Emma's voice rose in hope. The golden-haired woman smiled again and nodded.

For a moment, Jack narrowed his eyes. He had never seen this woman before. They lived in a small town, one rarely visited by others. It was a back-water place at the best of times. Hardly anyone knew where it was. "How?" he asked warily. When she looked at him again, Jack was ready for that gaze.

"I'm quite good when it comes to directions."

Jack could not help but chuckle at her simple answer. Directions were not his strong point. It was a good enough reason for him. Heading back to Emma's side, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well then, care to lead the way? We need to head north." With a laugh, the woman started through the forest. It was comforting, how easy she was to follow through the darkness. It was as though she lit their way, weaving through the trees.

The farther they travelled, the more familiar the dark forest became. In the distance, warm lights began to flicker through the leaves. At last, the trees slipped away completely and they were free from the forest. A laugh of joy escaped Emma as she rushed forward, Jack once again failing to keep her by him. This time, he merely sighed and let her go on her way.

"We made it home!" Emma cheered before hurrying back to the blonde's side. "Thank you. Thank you!" She took the woman's hand and shook it warmly. "You made my wish come true!" Brown eyes shifted to Jack's. "Race you back!"

Laughing, Jack remained still while his sister ran off towards the town. He could give her a head start. With a sigh, he turned to the woman to thank her himself. But what he saw surprised him. Her golden eyes were wide in wonder. For a brief moment, she glanced to the sky before looking back down to where Emma was running.

"I... I granted a wish...?" Her mouth agape, disbelief was written all over her face. "But... That's not my—"

"She made a wish earlier tonight, when we were lost," he explained. "She made a little wish on the stars that we find our way home. And, well, thanks to you, it came true."

Golden eyes met his chocolate ones again. They looked warmer now, causing Jack to smile while under her gaze. Laughter danced behind them, followed by her voice filling the air. "I granted a wish...!" she muttered after her laugh faded away.

"Jaaaaaack!" called out Emma from farther down the hill.

"Don't stop now! You know I'll win if you do!" His laughter rising in the air, Jack hurried after his sister. Skidding to a halt before he got too far, he turned around to see the woman still standing there, a smile across her face. "Hey, I never did ask your name!"

"And you still haven't!" chuckled the blonde.

"Heh, what's your name?"

"Seren!" she answered.

"And I'm Jackson." Raising a hand, he waved farewell. "Thanks for getting us home, Seren!" It was a fast goodbye, and certainly not one of his more polite ones, but he had a sister to catch.

* * *

Jack trudged through the streets to get his errands done for the day. They were always such a bore. He just wanted some fun. Friends and neighbours greeted him in the morning, their familiar faces always welcoming.

"Hey! What are you doing here? You-you're staying here or something?" asked Jack, spotting a trail of blond hair. Her clothing was different now, it matched the other townsfolk perfectly—all brown and, well, boring. Her other clothes were much nicer on her. That golden hair that flowed down her back was at least the same.

"For a few days, actually," she answered.

"Really?" Jack cleared his throat, realizing how excited he sounded. "R-really?" he asked again, this time calmer.

She chuckled before nodding. "I have a little vacation time..."

An unexpected snort escaped him. Realizing how rude it sounded, Jack clamped a hand over his mouth. "Ah..." He cleared his throat again. "You have a vacation...and you came here?"

"Yes?"

"Why here?" Certainly there had to be better places to visit than his little town. Ones that had better weather. Ones that were prettier. Ones that had more attractions for visitors in general.

She shrugged. "Why not?"

"Oh." Jack blinked, running a hand through his brown hair. "Oh... Well, then. At least you came here at a good time of the year. We do have a little spring festival coming up in a fe—"

"I know."

"Y-you do?"

She smiled knowingly. "Yes."

"Ahh..." Jack rubbed the back of his neck. What else could he talk to her about now? He was feeling so foolish. "I-I have some things I need to finish actually. I'll see you later?"

"Only if you know where to look."

Jack tilted his head in question at her comment. Brushing it aside, he chuckled before beginning to scamper back off. "Hey!" he called back out, nearly skidding in the mud as he turned around. "Um, I'll be done fairly soon...I think. Maybe...maybe I can show you around then? You need to have at least some fun while on your vacation."

"Fun?" repeated Seren. Her eyes went wide, unfamiliarity flashing across her face before she cast her gaze down. Her lips moved as she said the word silently again. It was foreign to her. A word she did not understand. A word where she did not know the meaning. When she looked back up, the confusion was gone, along with the unfamiliarity. A single smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "I'd like that."

Jack breathed a laugh, holding back more when he realized it slipped past. Pursing his lips together, he smiled—an odd-looking smile thanks to his pursed lips—and hurried off to finish his errands for the day. He had never been so eager to get them done as he was now. Only once he rounded a corner did he realize he had once again not said a proper goodbye. Groaning under his breath, Jack bit his bottom lip, feeling completely stupid, and quickly retraced his steps.

"He...!" he called out, coming to a stop. But she was not there. There was no sign of Seren or even a trail of her blonde hair leaving. "...Ey..." With a sigh, Jack tapped his hand against his leg, frustrated at himself. Quickly putting a smile back on, Jack returned to greeting the people that passed by and getting his errands done.

* * *

"Come on!" called out Emma, waving them onwards. A few of her other friends were also with them, keeping up with the young brunette. "Jack! Hurry up!"

"I'm coming! _Yeesh_!" Jack shouted back, climbing up the hill. While normally he would be running right alongside his sister, there was a new reason why he was slower today. "You all right there?" Holding out a hand, Jack helped Seren up the hill with him.

"Just fine," she answered back with a smile.

"We're almost there!" Picking up the pace a little, Jack ushered all of them along. Not far from his town was a place he, his sister, and their friends liked to frequent. The little lake came into view. Its clear waters reflected the rays of the sun, making it a bright and shining beacon for their goal.

"What shall we play, Jack?" asked Emma, turning back around. "Jack?" Expression falling, the younger sister looked left, looked right, but her expression did not change. "Jack, where'd you go?"

"_Aha_!"

Startled voices filled the air. The younger kids jumped back in surprise before laughing in delight. Jack had swung down from a nearby tree branch to surprise them all. All but Seren. She merely stared in surprise at the young man whose swinging began to settle. He frowned lightly at her response. That was not how one had fun.

"Jack, get down from there!" scolded Emma.

Before the blood could rush to his head even more, Jack jumped down from the branch, and landed rather poorly...on purpose. He remained completely still. There were still more pranks he had to play up his sleeves.

"Jack?" asked his sister's voice. "Jack, are you all right?" Footsteps neared. His trap was set.

"_Gotcha_!" Jumping up to his feet, Jack reached out to grab his sister's shoulders. Startling her was always fun. He had his "good" pranks too. Telling silly stories, doing impersonations, or just regular playing around; he would do everything with her. As long as she wound up with a smile on her face in the end, it was a success. But the person before him was not his sister.

Golden eyes blinked at him. While the other kids still startled from his sudden movement, Seren remained completely still again, even after he had grabbed her arms. Her eyes...they were much brighter than he noticed before. Something about them was warm and...even familiar. And not just the familiarity from seeing them the other night when they first met. Glancing away, he saw that he still had her arms in his hold.

"Ah, s-sorry," he mumbled, releasing her arms quickly. "Well!" After clearing his throat, Jack turned to his sister and her friends. "What do you want to play?"

"How about..." Emma started slowly, walking towards her brother. "Tag! You're it!" After poking Jack, Emma ran off, along with the other kids to flee for safety. They began to scream and laugh in delight and joy as the game was afoot.

"Ohh, it is _on_!" Laughing with them, Jack chased after his friends. It would be an easy task for him to catch up to them, his long legs gave him an unfair advantage. As always, he ran a little slower, giving them a chance to tag him back after he claimed one to be it.

"Now you're it!" cheered Emma, touching Seren's arm.

"What...what do I do?" Emma faltered in running away upon hearing her question. Even the other kids, including Jack, stopped running and stared at her.

"You... You don't know tag?" he asked, walking up to her curiously. "You've never played it before?" Seren only shrugged and tucked some hair behind her ear. "How...old are you?"

A faint smile threatened to break out across her face. "Old enough."

"Well... You just try and catch one of the other players, so that they are 'it'. And then they try to catch someone else! It's really quite simple."

"You mean...like _this_?" Reaching out, Seren tapped Jack on his shoulder and then danced away to a safer distance. Even the others began to laugh and run away, saying how Jack was it. A groan in disbelief escaped him. A trick, and he had fallen for it. Some prankster he was. Chuckling, he swallowed his damaged pride and smirked. With her, he could play to his fullest. And now she was having fun.

* * *

Preparations had been finished well in time. Music filled the town and laughter rang through the air. The spring festival was always a joyous one, welcoming the life that bloomed again for the new year. Though Jack enjoyed it, part of him always missed the winter that had melted away.

"Hey, this way!" cheered Jack. Turning around, he waved for Seren to follow. Her grin was so bright, it looked like it was going to split her face in half. Leading her through the town, Jack showed her what his home had to offer during the festival. Fun, food, and games were abundant. Everything he showed her caused her to smile and laugh. Sometimes, it was a little odd. What he considered a well-known game that anyone could do, she would question. Perhaps that trick with the game of tag had not been such a trick after all. But part of him did not mind, for it gave him a chance to show her even more.

Night began to settle in, but that did not mean the festival was at an end. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Lights lit up the town and allowed the festival to continue on. It was time for the younger ones to have gone to sleep, like Emma, but Jack was still able to stay up.

"Have you ever danced before?"

"Dance?" she asked back curiously.

"Oh geeze," chuckled Jack. "It's like you haven't lived a regular life at all!"

Seren cast her eyes down. "I suppose I haven't. Always watching...but never experiencing things for myself... Certainly doesn't seem like much of a life...not to one like you who can have all of..._this_."

Jack winced. So that was what putting a foot in one's mouth was like. Not very pleasant. With a sigh, he nudged her lightly. "Hey." Those golden eyes of hers looked up at him. He wanted to see them laughing with joy and fun again. "I may not know what life you had before your vacation...but I _do_ know that you're experiencing things _now_. And isn't that the entire point? The fun, the games, the sights and sounds..." A nervous smile tugged at his lips. "The dancing..."

Before she could say or do anything, Jack took her hand in his and led her to the dance area. Keeping her close, Jack twirled them into the rest of those who were dancing, matching step and staying in line. Others laughed around them, but Seren seemed almost frightened.

"Wha-what do I do?" she asked, her feet nearly fumbling over his. As much as he enjoyed going barefoot, now was a time he was glad to be wearing boots.

Jack laughed and held her closer, making sure she did not fall down in the new experience. "Just follow my lead!" Though fast, the dance was at least simple. No intricate foot moves were required, which was good for him too, since he was not that skilled of a dancer either. The fun of the dance came from interacting with the other dancers. Momentarily switching partners, forming lines and dancing through, skipping under archways created by intertwined arms and more. But no matter the moves, no matter where they went, Seren always made her way back to Jack's side.

As she slipped into his arms again, her laughter now filled the air. There was no more hesitation, doubt, or even fear of the unknown, in her eyes when she looked back up at him. Jack chuckled warmly, finding joy in the happiness she had come to experience. Slipping to the side of the dance area, Jack and Seren slowed.

"Is something wrong?" she asked as her laughter faded away. "Jack?" she asked when he had been silent for too long.

Jack rubbed the back of his head, bashfully glancing away. He had simply been staring at her, still lost in her laughter and smile. "No! No..." Hand still around hers, Jack tugged slightly. "Come on. There's one more thing I want to show you."

Together, they headed away from the festival, from the town, from everyone. Jack never once let go of her hand. While she may have guided him the other night, this night was his turn. Lights from the town began to fade, allowing the beauty of the night to settle in around them.

"Are you going to get lost again?"

"Nooooo," chuckled Jack. "Besides, even if I did, you would be able to get us back, right?"

"Without a doubt."

"See? Nothing to worry about then." Coming to a halt, Jack glanced around before sighing in satisfaction. "Well, this is it."

Seren followed where he had looked. Her expression hopeful, she tried to find what it was he was talking about. But nothing stood out. All that could be seen from here was the distant lights from the town. "What is it?" she finally asked. There was no irritation in her voice, only curiosity.

He only said two simple words: "Look up."

Craning his head back, Jack was first to gaze up at the night sky. Unlike when they first met, there were no more clouds or trees to block their sight of the velvet sky or the little gems that were strewn across the dark fabric. Each star shimmered and sparkled, the distant rays of light finally making it to their small little world for them to see.

"You... You like to watch the stars?" she asked softly. A smile across his face, Jack looked back down to Seren, and was surprised to see her looking at him rather than the night sky. How could she be passing up such a gorgeous view? The night was perfect for it! Soon the spring showers would come and ruin most nights of being clear. This one night was still crisp and completely clear, a one final parting gift from the winter that had passed.

"Yeah! I mean... Just _look_ at them!" Plopping down to the ground, Jack returned to starting up at the sky. He would not miss a moment more of it. "They're...beautiful. A shred of light in even the darkest of nights." He patted the soft earth for Seren to join him. She was rather eager to do so, seeming more interested in the ground around them than the sky high above. He frowned lightly in disappointment. But, in the end, it was her choice. With a sigh, he leaned back onto his hands and gazed back to the stars. "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight..." he began to mutter. It was a little childish, sure, but he did not mind doing such things around Seren. "I wish..."

Closing his eyes, Jack made a little wish upon the stars. It was simple, one he hoped had the chance to come true.

"What did you wish for?" asked Seren, leaning closer. When Jack looked back down, he was surprised by how close she now was. Eyes were wide and full of wonder. For a moment, he simply stared at her. It had been a while since he had see anyone looked so amazed over a simple wish.

Smirking, Jack shook his head. "You should know saying what your wish is makes it impossible to come true."

"But, didn't Emma say what her wish was?"

"Ah yeah, she did," he chuckled. "Well, I really don't want to take the risk of my wish not being granted." Leaning forward, he returned her wide-eyed gaze. "Now, go ahead. Make a wish!"

"Make...a wish?" That gaze of wonder faded away in a flash. Her eyes were still wide, but now it was due to confusion. "I-I can't..."

"Sure you can!" Jack laughed, hoping to bring back that gaze of wonder. "That's the great thing about wishes: anyone can make them!"

Seren glanced down, and Jack felt his smile falter. When she looked back up, there was such a sad smile on her face. How was it possible for a smile to be so sad? "Right..." she muttered. "Anyone can make a wish." Bright eyes finally switched from the ground to the night sky. Gaze curious and searching, she studied the many stars. She was looking for something, something she could not find. "I..." Her voice was distant and soft. At last she closed her eyes, the sadness from her smile fading. "I wish fo—"

"Ah!" To keep her from saying any more out loud, he placed a finger over her lips. "Remember, you can't say your wish..." His finger slipped slightly, brushing over her lips. They were softer than he imagined. And rather warm to the touch. Swallowing, he felt his heartbeat quicken. "Or else..." Jack swallowed again. "Or else it won't come true..." Clearing his throat, he quickly slipped his hand away, casting his dark gaze down. "So...what are you _really_ doing here?" he asked again. Chocolate eyes ventured back up questioningly. "I mean... We're just a little town out in the middle of nowhere."

"A little town in the middle of nowhere..." she repeated. Glancing down to the town that could still be seen, she smiled. "Filled to the brim with people that care about each other, living close and seeing each other every day. Their lives seeming small, but each one able to mean so much." Pulling up her knees, she hugged them to her chest, watching the town with a longing gaze. The town held as much joy in her sight as the stars did for him. "It's...different from where I'm from. It's why I chose to come here."

"What will you do? Once your vacation is done, I mean."

"Return to my life. Only watching, and always wondering."

"Will you be able to have a vacation again?"

"Eventually, yes."

Jack cast his eyes down and asked the question that would give him the answer he really wanted: "Will I be able to see you again?"

A soft hand tapped at his chin, drawing his gaze back up. There was no doubt. There was no hesitation or concern. There was only one answer that slipped past her lips: "Yes." He had not expected his body to warm so much at that simple answer. "Just as long as you know where to look."

* * *

Jack hurried through the streets. His errands done for the day, he wanted to spend some more time with Seren. With her vacation coming to an end, he wanted to make sure she had the most fun she could for the remaining time. But there was no sign of that blonde hair anywhere. She had been out every day, wandering the streets and enjoying the sights his little town had to offer. But not today. She was no where to be found. A terrible pit began to gnaw at the bottom of his stomach when he finally asked his townsfolk about her whereabouts.

"Jack! Jack!" called out his sister. Her friends were running up with her towards him.

"Hey!" Forcing a smile, Jack knelt down and hugged Emma warmly when she rushed into him. "_Oof_!" he laughed. "You're getting stronger, y'know! And taller! Soon I won't be to do..._this_!" Hefting her up, Jack spun his sister around before plopping her back on the ground. Success. Her smile and laughter helped to lift his own spirits.

"Are you able to come play with us now?"

"You bet!"

"Is Seren able to come too?" That pang to his gut returned. What joy his sister had been able to bring him was completely erased. Silent, he rose to his feet, his body starting to feel numb. "Jack?"

Unable to smile, Jack looked down to his sister. "I'm afraid Seren's vacation is over. She...she had to get back to her own home." Eyes as heavy as his heart, he cast his gaze to the ground. A pathetic laugh escaped him. Weak and raspy, it could hardly be called a laugh. "I didn't even get to say goodbye..."

* * *

Jack crouched on the end of his staff, arms looped around his legs and his chin resting on his knees. Most of his memories of his old life were back now. Some were still hazy, but not the ones of that Seren whose image fluttered around behind his eyelids in that space between dreams. Curiosity had driven him to learn more about her. But he could find nothing. North had no record of a Seren ever being on the Naughty or Nice Lists. He had even asked Tooth to look for Seren's memories in her collection, but they were not there either.

It was like she never existed.

Glacial eyes looked longing upwards, and to the bright moon that hung in the night sky. Not even Manny had an answer for him. Granted, Manny did not answer Jack even under the best of circumstances. Jack did not expect to see her, three-hundred years having passed since they had met, but part of him wanted some sense of closure. He wanted to learn what he had not learned about her back in those days.

"Where was I meant to look?" he asked to the stars. Would they answer him where the moon would not? As he expected, only silence answered him. A chill wind swirled around him, gathering snowflakes before moving onward. Huffing, Jack hopped down from his staff, grabbing onto it before it fell to the snow-covered ground. Bare feet crunching into the snow, he started for a walk to wind down his frustration. He shoved his free hand inside his sweater pocket, the cold getting to him much more tonight than usual.

"Are you lost?"

"Nah, I'm not..." Jack stopped, the snow settling around his feet. "Lost..." Though more people could see him now, it was still rare to come across those that did. Not to mention, the voice that had drifted to his ears was not that of a child's. In fact, it was the same voice that had been running through his recently recovered memories again and again. His body feeling lighter, Jack could now raise his head with ease, a smile breaking out across his face even without turning around. Before he knew it, his laughter was filling the air.

Biting his voice back, Jack suddenly felt scared. What if it was not her? What if it was just a dream? Steeling himself, he closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. There was only one way to find out the truth. It was hard to hold back a hopeful smile...and it became completely impossible once he turned around.

"So..." Grinning from ear to ear, Jack leaned against his gnarled staff. "What are you doing here?"

"I got some long-overdue vacation time."

His cheeks began to hurt from his smile. "You know, I can help to make your vacation a fun time." With a shrug, he tossed his head to gesture to the land around them. "Winter is a _great_ season for having fun..."

She smiled. It was just the same as the one from his memories. "I'd like that."

Finding out how, finding out why, could wait. For now, all he cared about was that she was there. She had found her way back to him.


	3. For You

**A/N:** Another story that takes place when Jack was human. This came from the idea of stars having a "Long Vacation". With this, stars live through a normal life span of the type of being that they choose, anywhere from a bacteria, to a dog, to human. They start off not knowing they're a start, but gradually remember more as they grow older. They are not allowed to have families of their own, to help keep their influence in a planet's natural course to a minimum (this should help explain the change in attitude later). This contains my OC Seren (who appears in the majority of my Jack Frost story now that I have her mentally established) growing up with Jack. Their ages jump a couple years between each part. No real ages are set, but they start off around 4, and in the end of the human section, she's in her early 20s. (And like in my previous Jackson Overland one-shot, his sister's name appears as Emma; it is the one I stick with for her.)

Ah, and while I've seen people saying how Jack's father is not around, he is mentioned in this. I like to think one of the reasons that Jack is able to spend so much time with his sister and playing around is because they have a father, or else Jack would probably have to do a lot more work to help support his family considering their time period (this is me thinking about it far too much). On the matter of time period, I'm sure that Seren would also not be reading a book on her own at the start of the story, but just needed her doing..._something_ by herself lol...

There are spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the entire film. That is all. Enjoy!

* * *

**For You**

_"I wish to take my Long Vacation."_

_ "You are aware of the restrictions and rules you have to follow?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ "You are aware this will be the only one you can take?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ "Where is it you wish to go?"_

_ "Just...a small town..."_

* * *

"Whoa!" cried out Jack, nearly falling over after making a huge leap to cross over the blocked square in the hopscotch board. Shifting his body weight around, he managed to steady himself and gain proper footing. Chuckling in success, Jack spun around and grinned at the other kids he was playing with. No matter the game, he would nearly always win. Granted, there were times he lost, but, more often than not, those times were really just him losing on purpose. It was his little secret. With a few more hops, and picking up his stone, Jack had returned to where his friends waited, allowing the next to go.

Swinging his arms around as he waited for his turn again, Jack soon became bored. After yawning, he shifted his gaze and looked around the playground. It was the small recess time between classes. All of the other children who attended school were out playing various games.

All but one.

Sitting alone on the steps of the school, a girl his age was reading a book. She was all crumpled up, her hands resting on either side of her head and only moving when she needed to turn a page. Jack frowned. She was in his class, he recognized her that much, but this was the first time he had noticed her out during recess. Once he muttered a quick comment to his friends, Jack hurried over to the young girl's side.

Holding his hands behind his back, stood in front of her and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Only after clearing his throat did the girl look up. Dark brown eyes met his own warm ones. She blinked at him a couple times, tucking some golden hair behind her ear.

"Seren...right?" he asked, trying to recall her name from the attendance taken each morning.

"Yes."

Grinning, Jack leaned forwards. "Wanna come play with us?" With his offer, the young boy pointed over to where his friends continued to play hopscotch. Beaming a wide smile at her, Jack awaited for some sort of answer. Seren blinked at his hand a few times before glancing up. She tucked some more of her blonde hair behind her ear, only a few strands left that still clung to her cheek. His thoughts began to falter, not entirely sure what to do after such silence. "Well... Unless you'd rather keep reading..." While he enjoyed listening to stories, reading them was not for him, but Seren was not him, so reading could very well be her idea of fun.

Seren slowly shook her head, her eyes still uncertain. Jack felt his hopes fall. He felt bad whenever he saw someone being left out of having fun. But then a smile touched her lips hesitantly. It spread across her face before her eyes lit up and she nodded vigorously. With one final glance down to her book, she closed it and returned to smiling at him.

"I'd love to!"

Jack laughed at her enthusiasm. Perhaps she had just been too shy to try joining in on her own. A simple offer had been all she needed. She took his hand that was still outstretched and he quickly helped her to her feet. He would not have guessed her to have such a warm smile a few moments ago. Smiling in return, Jack led her towards where his friends were still playing hopscotch.

Looking over his shoulder, he caught a glance of her dark eyes before they closed in joy. "Oh right. My name's Jack!"

* * *

"Seren... Seren. Are you awake?"

Rolling over, Seren blinked past the blankets. Jack chuckled. Even with only being able to see her eyes, he could tell she was smiling. She nodded, still keeping the blankets tucked tightly around her.

"Has he come yet?"

"I don't think so." Jack held out his hand. "Let's go downstairs and wait for him."

Before he had time to do anything else, Seren threw off the blankets and jumped to her feet. When the floorboards creaked, she froze as quickly as a cat and Jack hushed her. They did not need to wake up his parents. Not tonight. Seren took his hand, trying to stifle a giggle.

"Wait, wait. What about Emma?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.

Jack glanced through the darkness to where his baby sister slept. It would be great to enjoy this experience with her too, yet he shook his head. "I don't think she'd be able to stay awake even if we woke her now." His sister was still young, barely two; she needed her rest. There would be other years they could all stay up together. "Let's go. He should be here soon." Tugging at her hand, Jack led Seren from the darkness of her temporary room.

Their bare feet made barely any noise on the wooden floorboards. Light began to seep up from the ground floor thanks to the embers that still glowed in the smothered fire place. He could feel her hand growing cooler in his. Being in the dead of winter could do that. To help for now, he merely squeezed her hand tighter, lending her his own warmth.

"Jack, what if he sees us?"

"He won't," he reassured her, chuckling lightly. She was hesitant, but his warm hand helped to guide her down the last few steps. The light glow from the embers helped guide their way. Nimble as ever, Jack led her through the room where the Christmas tree was set up. The few ornaments that hung from the branches glistened in the light. He grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and took her behind the piece of furniture. "See? Perfect hiding spot." From their perch behind the couch, they could see both the fireplace that continued to dwindle down and the Christmas tree that protected the presents that had already been left by his parents.

Jack threw the blanket over them as they huddled together for more warmth. The coldness of winter pressed in around them, but they would stay warm in the growing night. They waited together in silence, in hopes to see Santa.

"I'm sorry your dad couldn't be around for today," murmured Jack quietly. His eyelids were beginning to grow heavy. Would Santa show up soon or not? He hoped so. He was beginning to fear that he would not remain awake long enough to find out.

Seren grunted lightly under her breath, her head bobbing threateningly close towards his shoulder more often now. Even she was growing tired, there was no denying it. Their eagerness from moments ago, causing adrenaline to rush through their veins and keep them awake, was starting to fade. Jack glanced down at her. Was she upset for him bringing it up? A couple of years ago now, her mother had died due to a harsh winter; they had lost a few other townsfolk as well. And now, as her dad was a hunter, had gone off with a hunting party. There was no exact time for their return. All Seren could do was wait to see if even her father would come back home. And so, while her father was gone, Seren was staying with Jack's family.

"But I'm also kinda glad." That comment caused Seren to look up at him. For a moment, the drowsiness in her eyes slipped away. Grinning, he nudged her. "I get to spend Christmas Eve with my best friend!" She smiled. Good. Jack liked to see her smile. It was even better knowing he had been the one to brighten her day...or evening, in this case.

Sleep returned to her face, the Sandman clearly coming to visit them before Santa could. Even Jack could barely stay awake much longer. Within moments, his head was resting on hers which, in turn, was resting on his shoulder. Struggling to stay awake, to see Santa, he found it becoming more and more difficult to leave his eyes open. Soon, they were only open for as long as it took to blink, with the eyelids being closed for the majority of the time. Still no Santa. Part of him no longer cared. If he could not see the red-clad man with his friend, then he did not want to see Santa at all.

"Seren?" he murmured, his voice barely audible to his own ears. She grunted into his shoulder. Whether it was in response to his voice or just part of her sleep, he could not tell. "I have...another present for you..." Jack let his eyelids close, no longer having the strength to keep them open. "I promise...I'll always be there for you..."

Sadly, neither of them were awake by the time Santa came around.

* * *

Jack said a quick goodbye to his parents before heading through the crowd of people with his sister. Everyone was bright and happy. Weddings always brought out the good side in everyone. While Jack did not find the ceremony itself too interesting, at least the small after-party was much more his speed. Keeping Emma close, the brother and sister weaved their way through the crowd.

"Want to dance?" he asked, smiling down at his young sister. Her bright brown eyes beamed up at him. It was a clear yes. Chuckling, Jack dragged his sister towards where others were dancing. She placed her tiny feet over his, allowing him to dance for the both of them. Each step brought a giggle from her lips. Just hearing that brought joy to the brother.

"Jack, I want to sit down now," claimed Emma simply.

"Aw, really?"

"Yeah."

He chuckled, slowing his feet down. Helping to keep her standing on his toes, Jack walked them over to the tables that had been set up. "All right," he grunted, picking his sister up from under her arms. "Here you go!" Plopping her down on the seat, Jack took the place next to her. "You going to be all right here?"

"Yep!" She swung her feet back and forth. "Ah, Seren!" Jumping up to her feet, Emma waved happily. Chuckling, Jack made sure to get his sister seated again. He did not want her falling off and hurting herself. When he looked back up, his friend was standing before them. Smiling, he rose to greet her properly. "You two should dance!"

"What?" blurted Jack, blinking at his sister.

"Go dance! You seemed sad when I didn't want to dance any more. So now you have a new chance!"

Jack chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, what do you say?"

Seren smiled warmly. "That sounds like fun." It did not take another second before the two friends joined in the dancing. He was glad. Having fun with his friend always brightened his own day. From playing games to the odd times she was upset and he got to cheer her up, or even vise versa, he was always glad to spend time with her. The thought of not having her there...he could not imagine that life.

"Say, Seren?" he ventured when their feet were able to slow down to the music.

"What is it?"

"I'm going to marry you some day."

"What?" she nearly choked.

"Well, I promised to always be there for you. Getting married's the only way to make sure that happens." Jack blinked, wondering why she looked so confused. It all made sense in his mind. "Besides, who better to marry than my best friend! I don't know any of the other girls as well as I know you."

Seren blinked at him before she cast her gaze down. Pursing his lips together, Jack waited for a response. He was beginning to worry. Had he said something wrong? What could it have been?

"That sounds great." A soft chuckle escaped Jack. Hearing that answer warmed his heart more than he expected. "Is it a promise?"

Jack smiled at her. The music picked up its pace again and the two of them went spinning off with the others who were dancing. Unlike with his sister, who would have tumbled off of his feet, Jack could move much faster and keep to the proper intended pace to the music. She began to laugh again, making Jack temporarily forget about what they had been talking about. But seeing that smile on her face, hearing her laughter...he knew he would never want to be with anyone else.

"It's a promise."

* * *

"All right, I'll start counting now! You better hurry and hide!" Jack chuckled. Turning around, he placed his head against the nearby tree and closed his eyes. Laughter rang in the air behind him, filled with phrases such as "Quick, quick!", "Let's get going!" or "Not that way! He'll find us too soon!", and more. To get them finally moving, he slowly called out, "Oooooone... Twoooooo..."

"_Eek_! Run!" Their scared giggling caused Jack to chuckle, his counting faltering because of it. The scampering of feet on the soft ground filled the air. Thanks to that and their voices, he had some idea which direction a few of his friends were headed. Granted, they would probably change their direction later, but it was at least a starting point. Lowering his voice, Jack continued to count as his friends scurried away to find places to hide.

"Ready or not, here I come!" he called out loudly, his voice soon being lost in the woods. Jack hurried off to find his hiding friends. One by one, he found them. With it being the last game of the day, they began to head on home shortly after, even before Jack had found them all.

Soon, he found each that had been playing...all save one.

"Emma?" called out Jack. No matter where he looked, he could not find his little sister. "Emma?" he called out again, starting to worry. The day was drawing to an end. With night settling in, he had to find his sister soon. "Emma!" A pit began to gnaw in his stomach. The idea of having lost his sister began to scare him. Since they were playing hide and seek, he knew she would not come out of hiding. She was always going on about finally beating him at this game. Stopping, Jack looked around and swallowed nervously.

Trying to push aside the growing fear, the brother hurried back towards the town. To find his sister, he was going to need help. His parents? No, no. He did not want to worry them yet, or at all, if necessary. Reaching the door of the first person that came to mind, Jack knocked, much harder than he intended. When it came to his sister, he spared no expense.

"Oh, hello Jack. How have you been?"

"Just fine. Thank you, Mr. Normund." Jack swallowed away the taste of the lie. He was not doing fine, not now. "Is Seren available? I-I need to talk to her for-for a minute."

Mr. Normund eyed Jack a moment before nodding and slipping into the house. Jack tapped his fists against his legs, unable to keep his fear completely under check. Biting the inside of his cheek, he looked back towards the sky. Splashes of reds were painted across the blue canvas, signalling that the sun was setting behind the wall of trees.

"What is it?" asked a voice from the door.

Jack nearly startled and looked to Seren. "I need your help." Without fully processing his thoughts, the brown-haired boy grabbed Seren's hand. He kept her in his hold and began to lead her towards the nearby woods. Or at least, that was what he had planned to do. Instead, she pulled her hand back to her side, slinking further into the house...and away from him. "_Please_. It's Emma. We were playing hide and seek, and she's the last one I have to find, and I can't find her, and I don't know where she could be hiding, and night is settling in, and, and—"

"Jackson." His breathing heavy, Jack realized just how much he had been speaking without taking a breath. He closed his eyes and tried his hardest to calm down. Rather than saying anything more, he pleaded for Seren's help with nothing more than a simple look. "Father, I'm going out for a minute." He barely heard a comment of confirmation from her father before Seren slipped out of the house, closing the door behind her.

"Thank you," muttered Jack as the two of them started off in search for his sister. Just having someone else there would be enough to show Emma that the game was over. Seren remained quiet, and Jack left it at that between them. Other times he would have let his thoughts mull over the silence between them more, but not now. There was room for nothing else in his thoughts as long as his sister was missing.

"Emma!" called out Seren, adding her voice to his. The two of them searched, racing against time and the dwindling daylight. "Emma, you can come out now!"

"Jack? Seren?" asked a soft voice. The brother felt his heart leap into his throat. His younger sister peeked out from a clump of bushes. She rubbed her eyes; it looked like she had just fallen asleep. "How come you got Seren to help you?" Her sleepiness went away as she smiled. "Did I win?"

A deep sigh of relief escaped him. Rushing over to his sister, Jack fell to his knees and hugged her tightly. "Yeah, you won," he managed to chuckle into her shoulder. "Now let's get you home." With ease, Jack let Emma crawl onto his back. It did not take long for his sister to fall back asleep on his shoulders. He kept her snugly supported, walking slowly so that she would not be jostled. "Thanks, Seren."

"I didn't do much, Jackson..." she murmured, her voice as soft as his to make sure his sister stayed asleep.

"Yes, you did." With a sigh, Jack looked over to her sombrely. She had been calling him by his full name for a few years now. Just hearing it once from her was more than enough, living through a few years from her was unbearable. He had tried to ask her why, but she would avoid the matter. Any time he tried to get her attention, she would now avoid him. Even something as simple as asking her to join in a day's play was declined. Nothing he could do was getting her attention. He even fell back on pulling small pranks to get her to talk to him, and he had not pulled pranks on her in _years_. Nothing worked. Unable to catch her gaze, Jack looked back to the ground before them. "You came to help."

Perhaps he was a fool to think that their friendship would remain unchanged. If she did not want to stay close, then he should not pester. He should just...give up.

* * *

"Ahh, you two need to kiss!"

"What?" Jack looked down at his sister. She was giggling, nearly jumping up and down in excitement. Swallowing nervously, he looked over to the one other person who stood near him: Seren. Another Christmas, another awkward party with family and friends.

"Don't you see the mistletoe? It's the rule!"

Brown eyes shifted up and saw the bunch of mistletoe hanging above them...above Seren and him. Her dark eyes shifted onto his, and Jack felt his own cheeks becoming flushed. Why? He swallowed, his throat becoming dry. It was best to just get this over with. A quick kiss. That was all it had to be.

Leaning over, Jack planted a soft kiss on Seren's lips. It was light, lasting not even a second, and could hardly be considered a kiss. But it was enough for him. Enough to make him feel foolish for giving up on her. She was his friend, his _best_ friend. Her dark eyes blinked at him before glancing bashfully away. ...Was she still just a friend?

"Merry Christmas," she muttered before walking away. Jack sighed and watched her as she left.

"Jack?" The elder brother blinked and looked back down to his sister. Her giggling and smile had faded. Forcing a smile of his own, he knelt down to Emma's eye level and ruffled her hair, his own way of asking her to continue. "What happened between you and Seren?"

"Nothing, Emma, nothing," he lied, keeping that smile on. How could he answer her truthfully when he himself did not know the answer.

"Then how come you two aren't happy when together any more?"

"I-I... What are you talking about? I'm always happy! You know that."

"Did you two have a fight?"

"No, no!"

"Do you still like her?"

"Of course I like her." Jack forced a chuckle when it faded past his lips. He looked back over to where Seren had slipped away. Of course he liked her. He liked how she smiled when she greeted him. He liked how she laughed at his jokes. He liked how she huffed and crossed her arms in frustration after losing a game but before becoming determined to try again to win, knowing full well she stood no chance against Jack. He liked how she would say goodnight to him, with that hopeful knowledge that she would see him again the next day. He liked..._her_.

"Then you have to tell her!"

* * *

_Tink_.

_Tink_. _Tink_.

Jack frowned. Tossing a small pebble in his hand, he then threw another one at the window above him. It tinked off the glass like the others before it.

"Seren!" he hissed into the night air that was littered with falling snowflakes, hoping his voice would reach her window. He tossed the remaining pebbles in his grip between his hands. Huffing, he looked around to see if anyone else had been disturbed from his attempts to get Seren's attention. "_Seren_!"

Drawing back his hand, Jack was about to throw another pebble when her window swung open. Strands of blonde hair fell over her shoulders as she hugged her arms for warmth. She stared out, confused for a moment before her eyes settled down on Jack. "What... What are you doing here at this hour?"

"Could I talk to you for a bit?"

She visibly sighed and leaned against the side of her window. "What is it?"

"No, no. Not like this. Could—would you come with me?" Throwing the pebbles to the ground, he stared up at her, waiting for some sort of response. Keeping quiet, he tossed his head towards the snow-covered land that lay around him.

"Jackson..."

"Please?"

It felt like something heavy had closed over his heart when she shut her window. Though he did not want to give up on her, she was making it rather difficult. Sighing, Jack pulled his cloak tighter around him. The night felt colder. Its bitter wind tore at him, only adding to his sinking mood. Shaking his head, Jack turned to head back towards his house. Not even a night's sleep would make this go away.

"Where are you going?"

Jack stopped. A smile touched his lips, causing the cold of the night to melt away. "For a walk. Care to come?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder. The small candle of joy that had been lit dwindled down to a smouldering wick when he saw that she was not smiling. Instead, she merely pulled her shawl around her more and nodded. She came to his side, but still not as close as she used to when they had been close friends.

The moon lit their path, causing the snow to glisten and sparkle. "Why did you start calling me Jackson?" he finally asked when he could no longer stand the silence between them. While before he would have enjoyed a pleasant moment of quiet between them, now was not the time.

"It-It's your name," she answered, tucking some hair behind her ear like she always did.

"But you would always call me Jack before."

She glanced away, not daring to meet his look in the eye. "We were kids, Jackson, we—"

"We were _best friends_, Seren." Coming in front of her, Jack stopped them both. Even while standing right in front of her, she still did not look at him. Those dark eyes failed to meet his warm ones. "But then you drifted away from me. No argument. No falling apart. No reason. No..._nothing_." He sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his dark hair. "I made you a promise, Seren. That I'd _always_ be there for you. But it's kinda hard to keep that promise when you're always avoiding me." Gently, he took both her hands in his. They were cold. That would not do at all; he wanted to make them warm. "If you want to stop being friends, then...then fine. Just tell me _why_." She finally looked at him. Such pain and remorse. Bringing up this matter was hurting her as much as it was him.

"Jack..."

His heartbeat quickened. Just hearing her say his nickname again after these years warmed him on the cold and snowy night. She still cared. She still cared about him. Even if she tried to deny it, even if she tried to keep him at arm's length, there was finally the truth behind her words.

"Things change, Jack. I-I thought it was best to distance myself from you so you could have your own future, one that you really want and not one bound to some..._silly_ childhood promise! One that doesn't have anything to do with _me_."

Raising his hands, he gripped her arms. He needed her to keep looking at him. He needed her to hear him.

"You're _already_ part of my future, Seren. You're my childhood friend. My best friend... Nothing could ever replace that. I just... I just want you in my life again."

"But things can't go back to the way they were..."

"I know."

Anything else that may have been said was lost. Cupping her head in his hands, Jack placed his lips over hers, capturing her in a warm kiss. It was nothing like the one he gave her under the mistletoe. That was quick, fleeting, with barely any emotion. This one made up for all that had been lacking from that night. Deep, passionate, and almost desperate. Jack needed her to know. He kissed her until he was certain she understood everything that had been running through his mind since Christmas. Whether she responded or not...at least she would know.

Gasping for air, he broke away from her, releasing her fully from his grasp. She knew. That was it for him. He panted hard, ready to leave right then if she shouted at him, or smacked him, or showed some other sign of anger. The only relief he would have found in that was knowing she heard him loud and clear, and had an answer of her own.

But there was none of that.

Hands lent him a shred of warmth before a new heat source thawed his cooling body. A pair of lips he yearned to become familiar with pressed over his. Jack blinked in surprise. This was not the answer he had expected. Hoped for, yes, but not expected. His mind remained annoyingly blank, uncertain of how to proceed for what felt like hours, until he finally managed to gather his thoughts and return the kiss.

She was back in his life.

* * *

"Be careful."

Jack turned back around and grinned at his mother. Emma, however, kept tugging at his hand, eager to try out their new skates since the weather had finally been cold for long enough. She did not want to waste time with a quick goodbye, she just wanted to have some fun with her brother. Chuckling, he gave a quick glance to his sister, not withstanding her simple tugs as easily as he would have hoped. When she was motivated, she could get him moving. Still grinning, he looked back to his mother and responded, "We will."

While Emma wanted to hurry off to the lake, Jack had one small stop to make before they broke in their gifts from Santa. His sister was still eagerly bobbing around, holding her skates in her hands and itching to go put them on. Keeping calm, Jack knocked on the new door before them.

"G'morning, Jack."

"Hello, Mr. Normund. Is Seren available? Emma and I were going to go ice skating, and I was wondering if she could come." Jack found himself biting his bottom lip nervously. Her father, none of their parents, for that matter, knew what had happened the other night. Soon, they would. Jack would make sure of that thanks to his hopeful plans.

Seren's father frowned lightly. "I'm afraid she's gotten sick."

Jack felt his heart sink. He wanted to have some fun with both his sister and Seren again, just like they used to. "May I speak to her for a moment?"

"You may. I'm sure seeing you would cheer her up and get her feeling better faster."

"I'll just be a minute, all right, Emma?" Jack quickly knelt down before his sister. She sighed, and he knew she was disappointed. The more time here meant less time on the ice. Rather than voicing her disappointment, Emma nodded. After muttering a quick thanks, to both his sister and Mr. Normund, Jack hurried inside the house. He did not even waste time putting down the skates that hung over his shoulder, just hurried up the stairs towards his friend's room.

He knocked and waited a moment before entering. Slowly, he headed over to the side of her bed and waited for the mound beneath the covers to move. A light moan filled the air and the blankets shifted. First blonde hair peeked out, followed by a face, and lastly the dark eyes opened.

"Jack?" she murmured, rubbing her eyes. "Jack!" Cheeks flushed, perhaps from just being sick, or perhaps from embarrassment, and Seren found herself tucking her blankets tighter around her neck.

"It's just me," he chuckled in response to her actions. For years, he had already seen her in her nightgowns, this was really nothing new.

"What are you doing here?"

"Can't I come to see how you're doing?" She frowned at him. "All right, you got me. Emma and I were gonna head out skating." Jack quickly moved his shoulder around, bringing her attention to the pair of skates. "And I wanted you to come, but...well..." He shrugged helplessly. "Seems that little plan didn't quite pull through."

Seren winced in apology. "Sorry..."

"Don't be sorry!" Jack promptly chuckled. Leaning over her, he planted a soft kiss on her forehead after brushing aside some of her golden hair. "Get better soon, all right? We can all skate together soon. There..." He chewed on his lower lip nervously. "There's something I want to tell you when you get better. So rest up, and I'll see you soon." With a final tucking in of her blankets around her, Jack headed back to her door.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?" Part of him hoped she would ask him to stay by her side, to keep her company while she was sick. That did not happen.

"You two have fun."

He smiled at her, bumping his head against the door frame. It made him glad to hear her say something as simple as that again. Only now did he realize how hard those few years had been on him after all. "We will," he answered softly. "I—" Jack quickly cut himself off, biting back the words that threatened to slip out. "I'll see you later."

* * *

The cracking of ice was deafening. It drowned out even the sound of his own heartbeat. None of that mattered now. All that was in his sight and focus was his sister. She stood before him, knees shaking, and her eyes wide in fear, looking for anything solid to grab onto. The only thing solid was him, and so Jack had to be her support. He carefully put down his skates, making sure they did not add to the already bad situation.

"It's all right. It's all right." Holding out his hand, Jack tried to reach out for his sister, to be a pillar of strength for her. "Don't look down. Just look at me."

"Jack." Her voice cut through him sharper than the sound of the cracking ice. "I'm _scared_!" No matter how hard he tried, her eyes would drift down. Her feet, laced into her new skates, slipped and shifted on the ice, causing the cracks to spread out and make even more of the surface unstable.

"I know, I know," he breathed, trying his hardest to keep his own voice steady. A tentative step forward was taken, seeing if he would actually be able to reach his sister and drag her to safety. But the slight shift in pressure caused the ice beneath him to crack. Not nearly as badly as it was under Emma, but enough that he knew moving any closer to her would result in disaster. "Y-you're gonna be all right." If he could not reach her to keep her calm, then all he had was his words. "You're _not_ gonna fall in. Uhh..."

His eyes desperately glanced down. Mind reeling, he tried to think of something he could do to save her. But what was there? They were in the middle of the ice, with nothing but their skates and his hooked staff. It... Jack bit his bottom lip before glancing back at his sister. It could work.

"We're gonna have a little fun instead!"

"No, we're _not_!" cried Emma, on the brink of tears. The ice kept cracking, making it harder for her to believe him.

"Would I trick you?" he chuckled.

"_Yes_!" Her words stung him more than the sting of ice against his bare feet. "You _always_ play tricks!"

Jack glanced down, shifting his weight to spread it out more. It was true—he did often play tricks and various pranks on his sister. But those times had always ended in smiles and laughter. They were nothing like this. "Ohh, right..." Bending down, he made certain she could look him straight in his eyes. She could not look at the ice. She had to keep looking at him. "Well n-not-not this time. I _promise_. I promise you're gonna be... You're gonna be _fine_. You have to believe in me."

Emma chocked back anything else she was going to say and nodded. Despite all the tricks, despite all the little white lies he may have told her, she still believed in him.

"Wanna play a game? We're gonna play hopscotch! Like we do every day." Rising, Jack made sure to keep smiling at his sister. He could not show any doubt or fear. "It's as easy as... One..." Jack took a long step to his right. Ice cracked threateningly under his new shift in weight, but otherwise remained solid. At its success, he looked back to his sister and grinned. Good, she was smiling now. "Whooaaaa!" He purposely flailed his limbs around as he brought his other foot forward, just like he often did when playing hopscotch with her, to make her chuckle. "Twooooo..." His left foot planted firmly down on the ice, making more of it crack. "Three!" With a final quick step and a hop, he made it to the side of the staff. Even he breathed out in surprise at his success.

"All right..." he muttered, making sure to keep his focus on his sister. Blindly, he reached out for the staff, grabbing onto it tightly once he felt his fingers graze over the gnarled wood. "Now, it's your turn..." Reaching out, he slipped the staff towards his sister. The end of it was perfectly hooked. It would work. It _had_ to work.

"One..."

Emma tried to move like he had, but her skates only made her slide around on the ice. It began to crack more under her moving weight. She only inched forwards slowly, and not as much as he had hoped.

"That's it, that's it. Two..."

Gasps of fright escaped her, being drowned out by the increasing cracking sound as the ice rapidly began to degrade beneath her. Too fast, it was all happening too fast. He had to make his move now, before it was too late.

"_Three_!"

Jack flicked the staff out and latched it around his sister's waist. With all his strength, he flung her across the ice to where it was safe, the momentum of the action causing him to slide back. She slid to a final resting place. Breathing in deeply, Jack waited with baited breath to see if she was all right.

Her head popped up, chuckling with the realization that she was safe. Her warm eyes no longer held a glint of fear in them. She was no longer scared. There was no more cracking of ice beneath her body. Jack laughed in delight and at the success of his scrambled-together plan. But then that deafening sound reached his ears, and his laughter vanished.

The ice still cracked beneath him.

"_Jack_!"

The image of his sister reaching out to him slipped from his sight as he plummeted beneath the ice. The frigid waters stung his body, a thousand daggers stabbing at every inch of his skin at all once. The cold enveloped him, squeezing out all the warmth that lingered on in him. Jack opened his mouth to yell, but that only allowed the icy waters to flow into his lungs.

Pain from the multitude of daggers went away, but only as all feeling left with it. Struggling became useless. His mind could no longer control his body, nor would his body respond even if it could. He merely drifted down, the dark icy depths taking him into their eternal embrace. The last thing he saw was the moon staring down at him through the hole in the ice, watching over him as his final fragments of life were frozen.

* * *

"Seren? How are you feeling today?" Rolling over, the young woman peeked over the edge of her blankets to see her father. With a gentle nod, for she had just woken up, she muttered that she was doing better. A full day of rest had done her wonders. "Would you come down for a minute?"

Seren blinked in confusion, but still nodded. Why did he look so sad? Without saying anything more, her father closed her bedroom door and slipped away. She remained under her blankets for a moment, trying to make sense of it all. The only way she could do that was to just head downstairs and see what her father wanted. After yawning, she threw off her blankets, grabbed a shawl to wrap around her, and headed downstairs.

Her quick pace slowed down the final steps when she saw that Emma and her parents were waiting downstairs. Where...where was Jack? Why were the three of them at her home, and not Jack? She swallowed nervously, clutching at her shawl. Were the two of them in trouble with their family? Had they found out what happened several nights ago? If that was the case, then why was Emma here as well?

"Hello," she greeted tentatively. All the waiting faces looked over to her, and she saw now how sombre they all were. Emma was especially so, fresh tears were still staining her cheeks. Upon seeing Seren, Emma rushed up from her seat, ran over, and wrapped her arms around the young woman. "Emma?" The young sister cried into Seren's nightgown, unable to speak. "Emma? Emma, what's wrong?" Prying the small arms off of her, Seren managed to kneel down to her young friend's eye level. They were red and puffy from many hours of crying. Feeling her chest tighten up, the blonde ran a comforting hand through Emma's soft brown hair. "Emma. What's wrong?"

"It-it's J-Jack!" chocked Emma through her sobs.

That was the first pierce through her heart.

"What a-about Jack?" Seren found it harder to breathe. Her eyes frantically looked around. There was no sign of the brown-haired man. He did not come in from another room. He did not even come in through the front door, having been just a few moments behind the rest of his family. "Emma? Emma, what about Jack? Where is he?"

"He-he's dead!"

And there was the final blow to her heart.

"Dead...?" she whispered, her voice unnaturally distant. It could not be. Emma had to be mistaken. How could Jack be gone? She had just spoken to him yesterday! He was going to tell her something when she got better. He was going to see her again. "How... What..." Anything she tried to say failed horribly, getting lost and falling off her tongue to not be heard.

"He fell through the ice! We-we were skating, and the ice started cracking, and, and he got me to safety but, but he...!"

"Shh, shh." Hushing Emma, Seren brought her into a tight hug. The little sister let all her tears flow, no longer able to say anything. It did not matter. She had said enough. "It's not your fault..." whispered Seren, those being the only words she could manage to utter. She wanted to tell Emma it was all right, that Jack would tell them not to cry. But she could not. They needed to cry. Seren silently sobbed into Emma's shoulder.

She had not wanted this heartbreak.

Not at all.

* * *

The cold chilled her to her bone, but she did not care. Trudging her way up to the lake, she stopped only when she made it to its edge. There was no sign of the disturbance on the ice. It was like nothing had happened.

"Why..." she whispered. Her voice drifted into the frigid air, being answered by no one. Dark eyes drifted from the ice to the night sky. "Why?" Her voice louder, she waited for a response. There was no one around her, that she knew, but it was not an answer from anyone around her she wanted. "_Why_!" she shouted to the night sky, but more specifically, to the stars.

Seren collapsed to her knees. She was sad, confused, and angry all at the same time. Right now, anger was winning out. "Why did you do this?" she shouted to the stars. "Was this always to be his fate, or did you go and _change_ it?" Rising, she tried to reach to the stars. She wanted to strangle them, to let her frustration be vented. "Was it..." Her chest tightening, Seren glanced down to the glistening snow and ice before her. "Was it because of me?"

Burying her face into her hands, Seren tried to push down her remorse and guilt that was gnawing away at her. She should have kept her distance from him. She should have stayed away. Those were the rules. "Was it because I was getting too close to him?" It was her fault. All of it. Jack's death...was on her.

"I'm fully human now, right?" Eyes watering, she glanced back up to the stars. Deep breaths clouded before her, but she stood through the cold. "If I'm fully human, then let me make a wish!" Her eyes desperately glanced between the different stars, trying to find one that would answer her. None of them answered. None of them were meant to during her time as a human. But still she tried; she needed to be heard.

"Bring...him..._back_!"

* * *

Jack drifted lazily on the wind, his cloak flapping around him and the frost on the fabric glistening in the moonlight. Travelling made matters easier to deal with, but it did not fully mask his pain.

No one could see him.

No one could hear him.

No one could touch him.

No one. No where.

The cold and darkness may have been chased away by the moon, but not the loneliness. No matter where he went, no one could interact with him. All he could do was bring ice and snow. People could see that, people could interact with what he created, but not with him.

Landscapes became more familiar. It was the same place where he had awoken. That lake, that ice, the trees around it, and the moon, it was all the same as he remembered from that first night. But there was one thing different this time:

A young woman sat at the edge of the lake.

Now, Jack had seen people around the lake before, often kids playing, but never during the night. Shifting his direction, he drifted down to the ice-covered lake. His feet tapped gently on the ice, followed by a louder clank of his staff against the frozen surface. As soon as he began to walk forward, he froze in his place.

The young woman looked up at him. Her eyes were sombre and laced with tears. Dark eyes shifted towards the sky before they glanced back down and she buried her head into her arms that were hugging her legs.

Jack found himself breathing heavily. Had she looked at him? Or had he just been in that right place at the right time to make him _think_ she had looked at him. There had been no reaction to his presence. He sighed sadly, clutching his staff. Who was he kidding? Of course she could not see him. Just like everyone else, she could not see him.

"What's wrong?" he found himself asking, still walking towards the young woman. "You shouldn't be out here in the cold like this." Jack let out a sigh. No matter how much he spoke, he knew his words would not reach her. She shivered lightly, as though his words had only added to the chill of the night. "You should head on home. It's not good for you to be here."

"Just go away..."

"What?" Jack's voice caught in his throat.

The woman brought her hands up to her ears. "Just leave me alone! Please..."

"You... You can _see_ me?" he asked, not fully processing her words. "Me. You can see _me_? You can _hear_ me?" A laugh blurted out of him. At last, someone who could notice him! Jack then swallowed when he saw the woman look up at him and noticed just how sad she still looked.

"Of course I can... You're my mind playing tricks on me... Playing tricks...just like he would have done..."

"Huh? No. No, no, no, no. I'm real. I'm _really_ here. I'm not a part of your imagination!"

The woman merely rolled her eyes, tucking some blonde hair behind her ear. Seeing that simple action brought a small smile tugging at his lips. Wait. Why would that make him smile?

"How am I supposed to believe that?" She shook her head and gripped her hair. "Any part of my imagination would be able to tell me that." A heavy sigh escaped her. "I have to stop. I can't go insane. I can't let this win."

"No! Please don't stop. I'm really here! Let me prove it to you!"

"Nothing you can do wi—_Ahh_!"

Raising a hand, she wiped off the snow that had plastered against the side of her face. Eyes wide, she stared at the white substance that slowly melted. He had thrown a snowball right at her.

"_That_ proof enough?" he asked, probably a little harder than he would have normally, but he did not want to lose the chance of finally speaking to someone. "Oh, crap." Jack quickly ran over to the woman's side. He reached out to her, but stopped himself. How was he to comfort someone who was crying? How could he when he would just slip right through? "I'm sorry. I'm sorry! Did-did I hurt you? I—what?"

When she looked back up, she was _smiling_. Her tears were not of sadness, but of happiness. "Y-you're real. You're really here!"

Jack found him laughing along with her. It was a little awkward, but he was glad that she was no longer sad. "Yeah. That's what I've bee—" Words were cut off when warmth washed over his body. This is what warmth felt like. All he had known until now was coldness. She was hugging him. She did not slip through his body like others. Human contact...it felt...it felt... Jack did not know how to describe it. As fast as it had covered him, the warmth slipped away, leaving the cold in its place.

She pulled away, tears still in her eyes, but at least the smile was still present as well. Dark orbs then glanced up to the moon for a moment before they settled back on his glacial eyes. He found himself chuckling in embarrassment before holding out his hand.

"I'm Jack Frost."

Her smile became sad. Was it possible for a smile to look so sad? He wanted to see a happier smile. One filled with fun and joy. "Seren Normund," she answered, taking his hand.

Perhaps her wish had been answered after all.

* * *

Jack floated up to Seren's window and tapped on it with his staff. Unlike previous nights, it swung open on its own, allowing him entrance. Keeping quiet, he closed the pane of glass behind him, not wanting to make the room colder than it already was.

"Seren?" he whispered. After not seeing her for a couple of weeks now, he had grown worried. The mass under the blankets on her bed stirred. A soft sigh of relief escaped him. So she was here after all. But when he saw her face, that relief was completely erased.

Her skin was pale. Cheeks and eyes were gaunt. The healthy complexion she normally had was gone. The woman lying before him now was deathly ill.

"Hey, Jack."

"Seren! What's wrong? What happened to you?" He let his staff fall to the floor, not caring at all where it landed, as he collapsed to his knees at her bedside. Through the blankets, he found her hand. It was no longer warm. The touch of her skin no longer filled him with warmth and hope. It was cold, just like everything else around him.

She opened her mouth to answer, but a violent cough replaced any words. "I'm sick, Jack. I'm dying..."

"No!" Jack squeezed her hand tighter. Perhaps it would be enough to keep her in this world, to keep her with him. He could feel cold tears forming in the corner of his eyes. In return, she smiled. Wait. Smiled? How could she possibly be smiling at a time like this?

"It's time for me to go, Jack."

"No, it's not! You still have a full life ahead of you!"

"You're right. I do. Just...just not here."

"What... What do you mean?"

"I'm a star, Jack. Being human...having this life...it was just a vacation... When I die, I'll go back to my normal life... And eventually, you will forget about me."

"Im-impossible!" choked Jack. He wanted to ask her more questions: why she was a star, why she was here, why..._anything_. But being a star was not so hard for him to believe right now, not with what he was. So the matter that stuck out to him the most was saying that he would forget her. "How could I forget you?" She was the one person to see him when no one else could. She was the one person to talk to him when no one else could hear him. She made him feel alive, like he had a small reason for being here. "I could never forget you..."

"You will..." She sighed. "You will, because you must. No one may remember me once I'm gone... I'm just... I'm just glad...I got to say goodbye to you this time..."

"Don't say things like that! This isn't goodbye. It's not. I will see you again, Seren. I _will_ remember you. You'll see."

Seren only shook her head, still smiling. "Thank you, Jack. For everything."

* * *

"Yeeaaaah!" cheered Jack, surfing on the wind as he brought another snow day to his favourite little town. Unlike before, kids greeted him as he stocked them up with snowballs, making sure every one of them had ammunition. Snow drifted down on them, and fresh frost formed over the ground. Laughing, Jack waved with a quick, "You're welcome!" shouted back to them before flying on over to the nearby lake.

Every year, he made sure that the lake was fully frozen over. Utterly and completely. There was not an inch of liquid water left in the lake during the winter with him around. As he was about to land on the frozen surface, he saw someone standing by the edge. Seeing people by the lake's side was no odd sight, but it was _what_ this person was wearing that caught his attention more than anything.

In this cold weather, not wearing a winter jacket, hats, or even gloves or a scarf, was, well, silly. Despite the temperature, she stood there, in a dress that did not look very warm, gazing at the frozen lake. Jack found himself sniggering. If this adult did not want to dress appropriately, then he would teach her a lesson. With a swish of his staff, Jack sent a frigid wind littered with snow in her direction.

The wind swirled around her, causing her dress and golden hair to dance on the breeze. Despite the additional cold, she still remained motionless. Jack frowned. Disappointed, he sent out another breeze with even more snow. Still nothing. A frustrated sigh escaped him as he took a leap towards the woman.

"Are you immune to the cold or something?" he sighed. He could find no fun in messing around with an adult if they did not even notice him. See him? Never. But they were still susceptible to his control over the weather. "Man, taking the fun out of everything." He tapped his staff to his shoulder. "Why are you even out here? Looking for something?" he asked, not expecting her to answer. If he could not have fun messing with her, then he would have fun guessing and making up his own story about her. "I bet you lost something. Is it lost in the snow now? Or under the ice even? Well, sorry, but I think you'll have to wait until..." Jack breathed in sharply. "Spring..."

Golden eyes met his glacial ones. They were not the same soulless amber pits like Pitch Black's eyes, these were warm and comforting, like the distant stars in the night. And they were staring at him. _Right_ at him. Confused, Jack looked over his shoulder. There was no one else, or even anything else, that her gaze could be settled on.

"You..." he uttered softly, finally able to find his voice again as he took a cautious step forward. "Are you...?" Jack swallowed, shaking his head. "No, no... You couldn't be... You couldn't be her..." Fragmented images from his memories flashed before his waking eyes. His previous life was still hazy, a distant dream, but it was clear enough for him to recognize one face and the name that went with it.

"Jack..."

Her voice cut through the haze. That smile. That laughter. It drifted through his mind, clouding his functional thoughts and rational. Multiple images from his memories flashed before his eyes, each and every one ending on the same face. That same face that was staring at him now.

"Seren...?" he whispered. The eyes may have been a different colour, but the look behind them was the same. If he could be here now, then why not her as well?

Golden eyes blinked in surprise. "You... You remember me...?"

"If...you are, who I think you are..." Jack leaned against his staff. This woman before him looked just like the one from his memories. "Are you Seren Normund?"

She laughed, covering her mouth in excitement. That was not the reaction he had expected. He clutched his staff and took a step back. "You-you remember!" she exclaimed, nearly cheering. Seren ran her hands through her golden hair, stifling down her laughter. "But how? You were meant to forget me. Everyone was meant to forget. What is it exactly you remember of me? Of...Seren?"

A soft smile touched his lips as he recounted all that he remembered. From the childhood memories to those final ones before his life ended. Every single one made him happy. But what made him even happier was seeing her before him again. It was her. There was no doubt.

"And that's what I remember of Seren..." His glacial eyes met her golden ones. "Of you..."

"That's how..." Seren's smile returned. "That's why you remember! The memories you have of me from when you were Jack Frost are gone, like they're meant to be. But you were already dead!"

"Excuse me?"

"You were already dead so your human memories, from when you were Jackson, were left intact! So you were right after all—you _did_ remember..." Hands covered her face. Jack stared at her, waiting for any further explanation, but there was none. All that met his ears was the sound of soft crying.

"Ah! Don't cry!" Rushing over to Seren's side, he pulled her hands away so he could wipe away her tears. Her skin was warm to the touch. Even her warmth was the same as he remembered. "Don't cry..." His thumbs brushed away the tears that threatened to trickle down her cheeks. Her face gently cupped in his hands, Seren looked up at him, smiling. That was the smile he wanted to see, the smile he remembered.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, chuckling lightly as she dried her eyes completely. "I just... I hadn't... I didn't expect this..."

"So...are you still sick?" he asked, dropping his hands from her cheeks and hugging his staff.

She re-tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "No..." she answered slowly. "Why?

Chuckling, Jack sent another gust of wind into her face. Laughing, he left her to deal with her hair that tossed around, flecks of snow getting caught in the strands. When she opened her eyes again, Jack was no longer in front of her.

"Don't you remember?" Floating upside down, Jack looked her back in her warm eyes. With a chuckle, he playfully flicked her nose. "I was going to tell you something when you got better, silly."

Seren grinned at him softly. After three-hundred years, he certainly hoped she would no longer be sick. "Well, I'm better now..." Jack smiled in return, his forehead bumping against her nose when he leaned in further. "What was it?"

If actions were meant to speak louder than words, then Jack made sure to say nothing at all. Lacing his hand through her golden hair, he erased the remaining distance between them. He had not felt such warmth in years. Soft lips melted away his eternal chill, and for a moment, he felt like a normal human again. Through the kiss, he let her know all he wanted to say. They had waited three-hundred years, but now she finally heard the words he had wanted to tell her:

_I love you_.


	4. Snowed In

**A/N:** So this here was a college AU that I wanted to write. Jack and Seren are both normal humans. This is the rated T of the one-shots, for the light lemon, or is it a lime in this case? near the end. It is very light and doesn't go into much explicit detail; hence why I still rate it at the PG-13 level and not M. I just wanted to give fair warning for anyone not interested in reading it. For the rest, please enjoy!

* * *

**Snowed In**

There was a knock at the door. Jack leapt up from the couch, the remote that had been in his hand flying up and dancing in the air before he caught it again. He felt his heart racing much more than usual over such a little thing. It was not every day, let alone every week or even every month, that there was a knock at the door. Living in an apartment kept random people from visiting. The only people in and out of that door were his roommates and himself. Looking over his shoulder, he glanced towards the door before looking to the nearest clock.

"Right!" Jack jumped from the couch, now with a purpose rather than just being startled. He snuck in a few quick fixes to his dishevelled clothing. There was no point in fixing his hair—it was always messy and unruly, impossible to work with. Putting on a smile, he opened the door to greet the person he had been waiting for.

"Hey, Jack."

For a moment, he could only stand there and continue smiling. As much as he hated projects in general, especially ones that required a presentation, there was at least a perk to the one he currently had to work on: he got to present it with Seren. After realizing she was still waiting there, he cleared his throat and let her inside.

"I was about to text you when someone came out so I was able to get to the elevators," she explained after Jack pondered the matter out loud. "Watching a movie?" Slipping off her boots, she peered towards the little living room past the kitchen. Jack blinked and looked back to where he had been moments ago. Cursing under his breath for forgetting about it in his haste to get to the door, he hurried back over to the TV to turn it off. Now was not the time for movies. "Rise of the Guardians?" He heard the slight grin in her voice before seeing it.

"What can I say? I got a weakness for animated movies." Jack grinned in slight embarrassment, ruffling his hair some more. It was a little quirk of his, and probably added to the reason why his locks were always so messy. Looking back to Seren, his brow knotted together. "What's with that look?"

"I never really thought about it before, but you kinda look like Jack Frost from that film. Actually, kinda a _lot_ like him."

Sighing, he shook his head and rolled his eyes lightly. "Believe me, you're not the first one to make that connection." Though he had heard it plenty of times before, it did not annoy him so much from her. "Snowing a lot?" he asked, finally taking her coat to hang it up. Curtains blocked the windows (neither he nor his roommates enjoyed the idea of others looking in from the adjacent building), but Jack knew it was meant to snow that day, and snow fairly badly. Judging from the melted snow on both her coat and her hair, the weather forecast had been correct. The wind rattling the windows gave testament to the situation outside.

"Yeah, it's really starting to come down. Little flakes too, which means it'll only get worse." With a sigh, she let her hair out of the loose bun it had been in. "So, to work?"

Small talk done for the time being, the two of them started on their research project. Jack hunched over his laptop, fingers flying to gather information that Seren then put into a slideshow. Page after page was made, pictures and text coming together to create their presentation. Minutes slipped to hours, the faint rays of the sun no longer slipping through the cracks in the curtains. Jack moved closer to her and the two of them did several practices for their presentation. Sadly, no audience, but a little practice was better than none.

Eyes drifted to Seren more and more. Part of him was sad that their work period was drawing to an end. As great as it was to get work done and get back to having fun—the thought of being able to have snowball fights again soon made him grin—it also meant he would have fewer moments with her. Class could only provide so much time, and their was not another group presentation listed on the course outline. He was friends with her, sure, but he always felt too embarrassed whenever he even thought of asking her to hang out outside of class.

"I think I should be heading home now." Shifting back in her chair, Seren stretched. "Unless you can think of anything else we should add to it."

Jack stared at her, opening his mouth to respond. Surely there was something else they could add. Something else they could do. Something else that could be done to keep her around longer. But there was nothing. Nothing came to mind. Not even some lame excuse that could seem somewhat plausible came to mind. Pursing his lips, Jack forced a smile and shook his head.

"Nope. We're all done!"

"Great!" Clapping her hands together, Seren made a copy of the project for Jack. He was hesitant to take it. Taking it meant she would then leave.

"Do you need anything else before you go?" he asked softly, trying to be as slow as possible with copying over the file without being obvious. "Drink? Food? Anything?"

"No. I should be good, thanks."

Jack felt himself slouching some more in his chair. Not even that worked for keeping her around longer. To break the unwanted silence, the windows across the room rattled violently. The wind had been growing worse and worse while they had worked, but now it sounded even more terrifying than before. Frowning, he stared at the windows, the outside world still blocked from their vision.

"Wait a second," he urged her, gesturing for her to stay seated. Heading over to the other side of the room, Jack slipped past the curtains, opened the door to the little balcony, and judged the nature of the situation outside for himself. It was _cold_. Perhaps it would have been better to at least put on some socks before stepping outside, but he took the discomfort, looking over the edge to see the street below. Snow was everywhere, much of it still flying into his face and reducing visibility greatly. Only the distant streetlights helped to make it possible to see just what was going on, and other than the snow, there was not much. Traffic on the highway, which was normally fairly constant, even at the current hour, was non-existent. What little traffic there was crawled along slowly. Having seen enough, Jack slipped back inside, brushing off all the snow that had plastered to him in such a short amount of time.

"It's pretty bad out," commented Seren before Jack could utter a word on the harsh weather.

"How'd you know?" he asked back instead.

She arched an eyebrow at him, a light smirk tugging at her lips. "You mean from besides the wind and your current state?" Jack felt himself blush and tried to get off even more snow before it melted completely. Sighing softly, Seren turned her laptop around as he neared. She was looking at a radar map of their area. Everything was pretty much covered by the colour that indicated snow, some areas even getting freezing rain. "The storm rolled in sooner than I expected. And it looks like it won't be blowing out any time soon."

"I think you should stay the night."

"Wh-what?"

"What are you, ten? It's not safe for you to travel now in this weather! You have to take the bus back, right? Even if you only had to walk I wouldn't let you go out in that storm."

"N-no, it's all right. Really." Moving quickly, she began to gather up her stuff. "I wouldn't want to impose."

"It's not an imposition! It's common sense." But his words did not make her stop. Frowning, Jack tried to get one step ahead of her.

"Jack, give me my coat."

"No!"

"_Jack_!"

Nimble on his feet, Jack weaved his way through the apartment, always keeping out of reach from Seren. "I told you, it's not good to go out in this weather! You could wind up in an accident! Then what, huh?"

Seren finally stopped chasing him. Sighing, Jack also came to a halt. Finally, he had gotten through to her. ...Or not. In his moment of ease, she snatched back her coat.

"Seren, it's really no trouble for you to spend the night. I'd feel better knowing you weren't trying to get back to your place in this storm." He sighed heavily, trying one more time. Though she had reclaimed her coat, she did not start putting it on. Instead, she looked between her coat, him, and the rattling windows.

"It's really no trouble?"

An exasperated sigh escaped Jack. "_Yes_. That's what I've been telling you!"

"But what about your roommates?"

"Already gone for the weekend. Hiccup's visiting his girlfriend and Jamie's off back home. Besides, unlike someone else I know, I doubt they'd be travelling in this weather." Jack grinned at her frown. "There's no one here to bother you, if that's what you're worried about."

"No one but you."

"Yeah, that's—hey!" It was Seren's turn to grin. With one final glance to the window and then her coat, followed by a sigh, she handed her shard of clothing back to him. "All right. It is one less thing to worry about."

"Good!" Taking the moment like a victory, Jack hung her coat back up. "Well, since you're staying, like something for dinner? I was about to make something for myself."

"You can cook?"

Jack let out a dry laugh, heading to the kitchen. "No, that's Jamie's job. But I do know how to heat microwave dinners or soup. Got a preference?"

"Which ever's easier for you to make. Oh!"

"Something wrong?"

"No, just have to make a call before I forget." Seren pulled out her cellphone and slipped away from the kitchen. Deciding that some nice hot soup would be best, Jack hurried to make them some food. "Niiiv!" groaned Seren towards the end of her conversation on the phone. "Whatever. I'll see you later."

"Everything okay?" Jack looked over his shoulder. He saw Seren shove her phone back into her pocket before glancing away.

"Y-yeah. Niveus just commented how she wished she'd had her boyfriend visit now."

"Ah." Not one of her better lies, but Jack said nothing on it. That explanation hardly gave reason for her reddened cheeks or flustered composition. It did not take much longer for the soup to finally be ready. "Like to watch a movie? Guest's choice." He pursed his lips and looked towards the TV. "Given that it's one we have."

Seren quietly ate her soup for a moment as they settled on the couch, thinking it over. "Do you have Stardust?"

"Uh..." Jack tried to mentally go through the list of movies they had accessible. Thanks to Jamie, they did have quite the selection now. "Yeah, we have that." Eyes promptly lit up, unable to hide the glee that flitted behind them. Jack chuckled under his breath. "I take it that's your choice then?" He did not even wait for her to agree before putting the movie on.

As the scenes rolled by, Jack became more interested in seeing Seren's reaction to the movie rather than the movie itself. A smile was across her face for nearly every moment, widening or shrinking accordingly to the mood. She looked more like a kid, lost in the fantasy and magic of the story.

"You know, you kinda look like Yvaine," commented Jack, leaning back on the couch.

A loud snort of derision escaped her. "No, I don't."

"Oh, come on. If _my_ movie counterpart can be Jack Frost, then _yours_ can be Yvaine. Is that really such a bad thing?"

Seren tugged at some of her hair before twirling it around and attempting to put it up in a messy bun. Those bright strands of hers stayed in place for only a moment then toppled back down over her shoulders. Jack chuckled. How it looked now made her appear even more like the fallen star on the screen. She huffed and pursed her lips, glancing towards Jack before studying the movie some more. Eventually, she threw up her arms in defeat and sunk against the armrest.

"Well, at least we'd both be immortal?"

Jack laughed. "A good point!" Their new roles now set, silence settled back in as the movie continued. Even Jack found himself smiling at the thought of gaining the heart of a star. His eyes darted over to Seren. That smile from before had returned to her face. Eventually, the movie came to its end, as it had to. Then, it was turned off. Jack's hand hovered over the remote, but he had not pressed a single button.

"Shit."

It was not just the DVD player that had turned off, so too had everything else. All the electronics and lights stopped working, no more power being supplied to them. The wind outside howled against the windows, rattling them loudly as if to mock those inside. There was no protection from the storm, not even when in the apartment.

"Ah!" Jack brought a hand to his face, blocking the glare from a light that felt ten times brighter than it really was in the pure darkness. "A flashlight?" he asked, adjusting to the ray of light.

"Just on my phone. Handy, ain't it?" She grinned.

"Yes, but we shouldn't waste your battery. C'mon, I got candles." With Seren guiding their way, the two of them hurried to light a bunch of the emergency candles—mostly courtesy of Hiccup—and then placed them in safe places to illuminate the apartment. The storm still raged on outside, blowing even harder against the windows as though it did not like the defiance against it. After setting his last candle, Jack made sure to grab some things before heading back out.

"Were you the one who planned all this, Jack _Frost_?" asked Seren when he returned to the living room.

A mix between a sigh and laugh slipped past his lips. "Trust me. If _I _were the one causing this, I would be very careful not to cause a black-out. I love my computer too much. And the fridge. And having good lighting. And heat." Grinning, he tossed her one of the items he had been holding.

"What's this?" In the darkness, it was hard to tell what it was that had been thrown so easily.

"One of my hoodies to help keep you warm." Jack shrugged it off, plopping back down on the couch. He made sure not to mention it was his favourite blue hoodie, the one that he always liked to wear whenever it was cold enough and curl up with a nice cup of hot chocolate, topped with plenty of marshmallows. If only he had made some hot chocolate before the power went out, then the whole mess would be just a little bit better.

"Oh, no. I'm fine, thank you." She held out the hoodie back to him as she sat down.

"Don't make me shove it on over your head." Frowning, Jack refused to take his hoodie back. She held it out to him still, scooting over closer. Shaking his head vehemently, Jack scooted away, not allowing the hoodie to get close to him again. "You're just wearing that blouse! Put it on before you get cold. It may be okay now, but without the heater, it can get pretty darn chilly in here, and who knows when the power'll come back on."

Seren's expression matched his own. Both of them were being stubborn in the matter. At least she was no longer trying to force it back into his hold. "What about you?"

"I'm usually pretty good with the cold. Pluuuuuus, that's what _these_ are for!" Grinning, he unfurled the blankets he had been also holding to cover the two of them. He tuck the blankets snugly around their legs, making sure no gaps were left for cool air to enter. "Put on the hoodie, Seren."

She let out a disgruntled sigh. "Fine." Jack smirked in victory. "Thank you," she mumbled before slipping on the hoodie. After flipping up the hood, she tucked her hands into the pouch and tried to snuggle under the blankets some more. "Now I just wish I had worn my fluffy socks today."

"Why's that?"

She wiggled her feet under the blankets. "Simple: they're _cold_. My feet often get the coldest."

"I can help fix that."

"Oh, no. Jack. Really, I don't need another pair of socks to wear!"

A hearty laugh escaped him. "That wasn't what I had in mind, silly. There's another way I can help."

Seren inched away. "How?"

"Oh, don't give me that look. I'm not gonna play a prank on you." Her face did not untwist out of that suspicious glance. "Honest!" She still did not look like she believed him. Rolling his eyes, Jack decided the only way to prove it to her was to show her. Gathering up some of the blankets, he clamped it over her feet and rubbed around. The extra friction created more heat, and thus helped to warm her feet. But the more he tried to warm her up, the more she began to squirm.

"S-stop!" she blurted out in a giggle, unable to hold back from laughing any more. "It-it tickles!" Her hands grasped his, trying to pull away, but it now was more a matter of having fun than keeping warm. Jack laughed with her, trying to tickle her some more rather than warm her feet.

"Better?" he asked once he stopped tormenting her with tickles.

It took her a moment longer to stifle down her giggles, a few light snorts finding there way in that only made Jack grin some more. "Yeah," she answered after taking a deep breath. "But now my hands feel cold in comparison."

"I can help with that too."

"At least they're not ticklish," she remarked wryly before holding out her hands.

Jack chuckled. Wrapping his hands around her, he began to rub them slowly before stopping. In the only partially illuminated darkness, he could just see her blink in confusion before he leaned in, cupped his hands around hers, and breathed out on their fingers. He clasped his hands together tighter, making sure no heat could escape. When she did not pull away, he breathed out again, his own heart beginning to pound.

"Better...?" he whispered, closing his hands together to trap the warmth inside. Her fingers flexed. She nodded, not breaking the gaze he had locked with her. "Cold anywhere else?" Remaining silent, Seren took back her hands. Maybe he had gone too far. Jack bit his bottom lip, feeling quite the fool until a shred of hope shone in the darkness. Seren pointed to her nose.

A soft smile tugged at his lips. Leaning towards her, Jack was careful not to let any heat escape from under the blankets. It would be pointless to let the air that grew colder and colder in. Closing his eyes, Jack erased the remaining distance and planted a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. He lingered there until he was satisfied that her nose would no longer be cold. But when he tried to pull away, hands reached up and grasped his vest, keeping him over her.

"Maybe I can be your Jack Frost," he whispered, studying her dark eyes that reflected a glint of the candlelight. He grinned and chuckled in response to her confused look. "Nipping at your nose..."

"I hope you wouldn't do only that."

"Wha—"

He could say no more. The cold that had been slowly creeping in to chill his exposed body melted away. Though he had been the one trying to warm her up, she was now the one to remove the cold completely. Lips pressed against his as hands pulled him down. It took Jack a moment to fully process what had happened. After all his worrying, after all his waiting to find the opportune moment, and finally feeling like he had reached that point, _she_ had been the one to kiss him. Seren broke the kiss, having kept it simple and sweet.

"I think I can handle that." Grinning, he leaned back in to nip at not her nose, but her lips. This kiss was not like the last. Jack put all his feeling and emotions into it, letting her know how he felt about her. Together, under the blankets, there was no room for the cold. Hands that had once been chilled to the touch were now heated as the fingers laced through his dark hair. There was a break, long enough to only regain some much-needed air before their lips sealed back together, both eager for more.

The warmth was overwhelming as Jack lowered his body onto hers. He often preferred the cold, actually. Others complained about it, griping about how much colder it was from the day before when the temperature had only lowered two degrees (and then would complain about how hot summer was when that came around; nothing was ever good enough), but not Jack. That ever-present chill in the air relaxed him after the stressful, sweltering heat of the previous months. Jack did not prefer the heat, in fact, he often disliked it, but right now, as Seren left a trail of kisses along his jaw, he _loved_ it.

It was different from any other heat he had felt before. Rather than suffocating him from the outside, it blossomed deep within him and spread out to all his extremities, causing his skin to tingle with delight. Legs laced around his, causing that heat to rise. Too warm. It was getting too warm, and he wanted more.

"Jack," she whispered against his ear. "I'm still cold..."

Grinning on her skin, Jack promised that he would make her feel warm, but not just yet. Wrapping his arms around her back, Jack pulled her up so that were both sitting again. The unexpected action caused her to yelp, which in turn made him chuckle. She shivered in his hold and he quickly wrapped the blankets back around them.

"Let's fix that." His voice low, he planted butterfly kisses along her neck, hands slipping up under the borrowed hoodie and blouse. The blanket was left behind as they switched locale to his bedroom; the couch was far too narrow for his liking, and hardwood floors were hardly comfortable—maybe it would be a good idea to invest in some rugs.

Shards of clothing became the trail that they left behind. Vest, dress shirt, belts... Jack was slow at toying with the hoodie. He had not expected to be removing it so soon after lending it to her. He would have to lend it to her again, for now it was only in the way. The clump of blue fabric joined the rest of the trail, soon followed by her blouse. The cool air that kissed his skin helped to keep him grounded in reality. But the roaming lips and hands caused that blossoming heat to burst into a crackling fire that still needed tending. Legs bumped against the bed, sending them toppling over onto the sheets that he never really bothered to ever straighten. A giggle escaped Seren, but not from the fall.

"What's so funny?" he managed to ask through his heavy panting, taking that moment to let his body have the air that it needed again.

"Nothing." She shook her head before moving to discard what shards of clothing remained.

"Nooo. Seren. Tell me." He took her hands and pinned them to the bed, not allowing her to go any further. She tried to struggle, but it was pointless. Grinning, he rested his chin against her chest and lowered his body onto hers, not moving at all and acting more as a dead weight than anything else. Though a dead weight, he was still able to enjoy the feel of her body pressed right against his, warmth spreading between them. "Don't make me start tickling you again. You know I will."

That immediately made her stop struggling. "I was just thinking..."

"Abooooouuuut?" He planted a teasing kiss on her collarbone followed by another. That, however, made her sigh in bliss and squirm slightly. Her eyes fluttered as he continued kissing, causing her to temporarily forget what she was going to say. At last he stopped, and she was able to regain her thoughts again.

"About how the spirit of winter won over the heart of a star..."

That caused the crackling flames to become a full-fledged fire within him. There was no more coldness. There was only the heat of their bodies, and he liked that heat. Rising back up, Jack kissed her firmly on the mouth. He may have won the heart of a star, but she had also won his heart in return. Fingers laced together, each digit becoming lost against the next with no way to discern which finger belonged to whom.

The final shards of clothing that were in the way were removed. Rather than becoming colder, it felt like the temperature rose. And they made sure to keep it that way, staying warm together throughout the night.

* * *

Jack scrunched up his nose. It was cold, even for him. Pulling up the blanket that was tucked around him, he settled it over his face in attempts to make his nose warmer. Or rather, he would have had the blanket not been trapped by someone else. Strands of blonde hair swayed with each breath Seren took. Smiling, he brushed aside her hair, tucking it behind her ear like she often did on her own.

After blinking a few more times, he looked over to his clock. No numbers were flashing. He sighed and snuggled into the bed and against Seren some more. With his digital clock not on, the power still had yet to come back. At least it was light out; candles would not be needed again until later. In fact, it was very bright out, so much so that he had to squint when glancing to his window. Grumbling, he looked to his watch to see what time it was. An annoyed sigh escaped him before allowed his hand to fall back down. Of course, his watch was getting repaired. Wanting to see what the state was outside, he started to sit up, but was stopped.

"Jack," muttered a drowsy voice. Hands wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him back down. "No movin' Heat 'scapes..."

"Hey," he whispered back, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. "Glad you stayed over?"

With a smile, she nodded. "Remind me to thank your doppelganger later."

"Uh-huh. C'mere." Wrapping the blankets back around them to keep the warmth around them (it really had gotten quite chilly over night), Jack urged Seren to get out of bed with him. She moaned in protest, huddling closer for warmth, to which Jack did not complain. He pulled her right against him as he guided her to the window. "Take a look."

Grudgingly, Seren opened her eyes fully. A soft gasp escaped her. Jack was trailed along thanks to the blanket as she went right up to the window to peer out. Everything was blanketed in white.

"It's lovely..."

"See? Winter's not so bad."

"I never said winter's bad."

"But you don't like it when it's cold!"

"I don't like it when there's a sharp wind. I don't like it when hidden ice causes me to slip and fall. I don't like it when blizzards knock out power—though I may have to let the jury out on that one now. But I never said I didn't like winter. I love a good snowfall and seeing an otherwise dreary landscape blanketed in white."

"All right, fair enough, Ms. Technicalities." Jack let out a long sigh. Reaching out, he doodled a little in the frost on the window. Seren's hand soon wound up next to his. "What do you say to some more sleep and then we can enjoy our snow day from inside?"

"That sounds like a great idea."

* * *

**A/N:** Funnily enough, about a week after I wrote this, there was a blizzard where I live xD It created a lovely snow day, and one with power still available... Though that power outage didn't come until another ice/snow storm at the end of winter hit us -_-


	5. One More Night

**A/N:** Another one-shot, and this one is back in the RotG universe. However, this one requires a bit more explanation than the others. While I have been writing one-shots, I do have a full fic planned, post-movie (which I have now started to write; though it'll probably still be a bit before it's up). This one-shot, while sort of a Christmas Special (and I also wanted to write some more for the other Guardians), would take place after that unwritten fic. The main things you should know from that fic so that this makes a little more sense is that the three Fates are essentially the "villains", and Seren was sent to help. At the end, she had to leave. This one-shot plays up any Jack/Seren relationship more so than it would be in that fic too.

Also, I wanted to try my hand at writing out North's and Bunny's accents. It was a lot of fun, but I'm debating whether or not to do it all the way through the main fic. If you have any thoughts on how it's handled, whether you like it or not, or could stand it throughout a longer fic, feel free to let me know. That's all; enjoy!

* * *

**One More Night**

Jack surfed the wind like normal people surfed the water. The night was cold, the air was fresh, and he loved it all. A loud laugh of exhilaration escaped him as he allowed the wind to take him even closer to the clouds. His hand drifted through the substance that at once looked solid but immediately broke away and swirled around him, coating his fingers with light dew.

As he pulled his hand back to his side, Jack grinned when ribbons of colourful light danced through the clouds, shimmering against the beads of condensed water. The northern lights were always such a beauty to see, but even more so when he was close to the source. Hollering in glee, Jack flipped in the air before he dove straight down. Snow blanketed the land, but he knew what was hidden under that veil of snow—Santa's Workshop.

The wind let go of him and he landed softly on the ground, right at the entrance. Slinging his staff over his shoulder, the silver-haired man strode in to the workshop. Yetis hurried to see who the visitor was, friend or foe, but began to grumble under their breaths before leaving when they saw it was only Jack.

"Hey Phil!" greeted Jack, waving lazily at the one yeti in particular who would not leave just yet. Phil glowered lightly and pointed at his eyes before pointing at Jack and stomping off. The winter spirit could not help but laugh and continue on his way inside. Though he was now welcome at North's home, within reason, the yetis still had not forgiven him for all the times he had tried to sneak in back before he was a Guardian. Messing with them now and again was still fun, like how now he would strut in knowing full well the yetis could not kick him out. Being a Guardian was not without its perks.

But once Jack got inside, he felt his grin disappear. Gone was the hustle and bustle of the normal workshop. Instead, it looked rather...deserted, like everyone had left in such a hurry that they just stopped everything without bothering to clean up. The sight of a few elves allowed some relief, but not much. Was this why he had been called to the place?

"North?" called out Jack, picking up his pace. "Hey, North!"

"Ah, Jack!" echoed North's booming voice. Only once the winter spirit saw the man clad in red did he breathe a sigh of relief. Nothing was off about North, nor did he appear dishevelled or worried in the least. "Yoo made eed! Good, good."

The tall man clapped Jack on his back, causing him to grunt in discomfort. Though old, North was in no way weak. "Where is everybody?" he asked once he righted his hoodie.

"Dhe odhers? Dhey weel be here soon."

"No, no, I didn't mean the other Guar—okay, so that would have been my second question depending on the answer. But where are all the yetis working on the toys? Even the elves aren't really around and they're usually scurrying all over the place!" As if to make a liar out of Jack, he then heard a small jingle of bells as a little pack of elves carrying a plate of cookies went waddling on by. "Aheh... But they're normally a whole lot more!"

"Oh, don'd worry aboot dhat! Dhis normal!"

Jack looked around the empty workshop. It felt so...alien like this. "Really?"

"Da! Aftar Chreestmas, yetis and elves are allowed small break teel new year. But dhen it's back to verk!"

"Oh good." Jack sighed in relief. His worry had been for nothing.

"Jack!" cried out a new voice before something moving at a high velocity hit him, spun him around in a hug, and then made way for fingers prying open his mouth.

"Ey Oof." Jack tried his hardest to greet Toothiana while her fingers were still stretching his mouth to uncomfortable positions. It was, sadly, no longer such an odd greeting from the Tooth Fairy.

"Still as sparkling white as always! Good to see! You know, some kids could really take a few pointers from you. Honestly, these days more and more just keep eating all this food with sugar and don't bother with taking care of their teeth. Or even eating an apple or two more after such sweets! I keep seeing younger and younger ones with fillings. It's quite sad."

"Tooff." North's strong voice cut off Toothiana's ramblings like a hot knife through butter.

"Oh! Right. No business talk tonight!" She giggled lightly in apology before fluttering back. Jack, now freed, moved his jaw around to make sure everything still functioned properly. A few of her own helpers whizzed around Jack excitedly. He grinned and waved at them as well. "Sandy! How long have you been there?"

All eyes fell onto the silent Guardian. Shrugging, Sandy made an image of a clock whose hands did not tick back more than a couple minutes. Jack chuckled. At least it was one of Sandy's easier to decipher messages. Sometimes Jack found himself getting a headache if he tried to have an actual conversation with the Sandman. In the end, it really was easier to remain silent on both ends.

"So whut's thees summons awl about then, eh?" asked a new and final voice. Slipping up from a hole that began to close came Bunnymund. "Dahn't tell me we got us sum new trahble brewin' awlready."

"Yeah, North. Why'd you call us all here?" asked Toothiana, hovering nervously in place.

"Is it Pitch again? Or even the new Fates? Or something else?" listed Jack, gripping his staff a little tighter. Even Sandy was making images of what he guessed to be wrong, but Jack could not understand the images that flashed by.

"Hah! Do yoo gies alvays assoom dhe verst now?"

"Well, we did 'ave Pitch not too recentleh. Then thair were the Fates. I mean, thahrd time's the chahrm an' awl, so wee'ah just waitin' on it ta happen."

"Dhis noffingk like dhat! Trust me. Now, dhis way." With a wave of his hand, North led them to the room just outside his office, the one with the warm fireplace and the massive globe that held twinkling lights. Jack smiled up at the globe. Several of those lights were even for those who believed in _him_ now. Some lights faded out, only to be replaced by new ones that sprung into existence. It was the way things should be: new kids believing, and older ones growing out of what they were told to be only stories. As long as all of them did not go out, like back when Pitch had tried his schemes, there was nothing to worry about with the natural course of it all.

But the globe was no longer the only massive object in the room.

"Whoa..." breathed out Jack, craning his head back. A massive Christmas tree stood tall and proud, decorated with lovely ornaments that glistened and shone beside all the twinkling lights. Chuckling, Jack waved his staff and summoned up a change in the weather. Frost painted across the pine needles, turning the tips of every single one white. Some icicles formed here and there, and everything was topped off with a light sprinkle of snow.

A loud laugh came from North. "Hah! Nice touch, Jack! But no more snow indoors."

"Aw man, you always ruin the fun." Grinning proudly at his work, Jack tapped his staff once against the ground before swinging it back over his shoulder.

"So thees is why yuh cawled us?" Bunnymund hopped over to the tree and tugged at one of the branches. "But Chreesmas is ovah."

A smile tugged at North's lips as he played with his moustache. "For all dhe kids of dhe werld, dhis is true. Dhough, why don't yoo take look under tree, hmm?"

"Presents!" cried out Jack, already having squatted down to take a look. Hidden by the base of the tree, and nearly lost behind all the branches and dangling ornaments, were several presents. "Are they for us?" He could not hold back his grin in the slightest, nor did he even want to try. Seeing presents under a (belated) Christmas tree...it made him feel like a kid again. It had been over three-hundred years now since he last saw Christmas presents that had been for him.

North grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling warmly, and tapped his nose. "Dhe youngk Guardian's got eet!" A loud booming laugh escaped the jolly man. "I dhought it would be good to have day for us." Running a hand over his mouth in thought, North looked around for a moment before glancing back at the tree. "Go. Go! Hand dhem out, Jack."

Still brimming with joy, Jack went under the tree to fish out the presents. There were no names listed on them, but the wrapping paper itself was special to each of them, and that was more than enough of a replacement for names. A red one with white ribbon for North. A feather-patterned one for Toothiana. An egg-patterned one for Bunnymund. A golden one for Sandy. And, for Jack, a blue one decorated with shining snowflakes.

"Ah bit on tha nose, dahn't yuh think?" asked Bunnymund, studying his present. He could not hold back his own smile. Even the Easter Bunny was touched by the thought.

"Hey, North, there's one extra." Bemused, Jack stared at the on other present in his hand. The wrapping paper was only white. There were no other designs, or even some colourful ribbon or bow to adorn the gift. He turned it around and over in his hands. Nothing else marked the gift. Frowning lightly, he handed it out to North but the red-clad man would not take it.

"Is someone else still coming?" asked Toothiana, her attention drawn from her own mystery gift. North merely made an indecisive gesture for his answer. "The Leprechaun?"

"Reelleh? That geeft is pure white, and yuh think the Leprechaun as yuhr fahrst gess?" Bunnymund glowered lightly at the gift before glancing to North. "It bettah not be the Grawndhog."

"Oh, so the Groundhog is an okay guess for a white gift?"

"That little bugga comes out when thair's snow on the grawnd, in case yuh forgot."

"Cupid?" ventured Jack, wondering who the gift could possibly be for. The three of them began to continue listing off other possible guests that North could have invited. After every single name given, the elder man remained standing still with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. There was no indication at all that any of their guesses were right or wrong. Their chatter that rose higher and higher was finally cut off by the frantic jingling of a bell.

All eyes fell onto Sandy letting go of a poor elf who waddled off, the use for the bell on his hat no longer needed. Calmly, as though he had done nothing more to clear his throat to get their attention, Sandy took a sip of eggnog, an image made from sand forming above his head.

"An orb?" asked Bunnymund, whiskers twitching. "An' jasht who is that meant ta be?"

"A little spirit of sorts?" asked Toothiana. Her helpers whizzed over to the orb, buzzing around it curiously. Even they had no idea and shrugged in defeat. "Will o' the wisp?"

Jack stared at the orb while the other two tried to figure our Sandy's message on their own. It was more than just a simple orb. Tendrils of sand drifted out of it before curling back in. While such a sight was not uncommon to see around any of Sandy's images, these were different, these were an intentional part of the orb. The particles burst out from the surface in an explosive array of magic.

"Seren..." he whispered. That orb... It was just like the ones that drifted around her when she used her powers. Granted, the one above Sandy consisted of sand instead of light, but they were the same. "Seren?" he asked louder, looking from the orb, to the gift, to North.

"Awh yeah, that orb does look like a little stahr now that yuh mention it."

"Is it true? Is it Seren? Is she really coming?" asked Toothiana, twirling around in excitement.

Jack barely heard North's confirmation. The white gift was for her. She would be coming back. Biting his lower lip to hold down his excitement, Jack placed both presents he had been holding back by the tree.

"Oi, where'ah headed off ta, Frost?"

"Well, she's not here, right?"Jack called out, turning around briefly while scurrying off. "I'm going to wait for her outside!"

"Well, sumbodeh's not too much like a keed on Chreesmas." Bunnymund chuckled, crossing his arms. "Wus thees pahrt of yer plahn?" North shrugged, but he could not hide the twinkle in his eye.

Paying no more attention to the other Guardians, Jack let the wind swoop him up through the gap in the roof that allowed the Man in the Moon to be seen when needed. Once outside, he settled down on the roof and began to wait. Fewer clouds were scattered across the sky now than there were before, allowing more stars to be seen. So Jack sat there, waiting, and gazed up at those stars.

"Know where to look..." he murmured under his breath. Following the constellations, he found the North Star. It shone as bright as ever, and he smiled softly. But then...if it was shining that brightly, was she really coming? His smile faltered as that thought was allowed time to settle in. Still he sat and waited, waiting for any sign of her arrival.

None came.

What was he even meant to look for? Jack drew his legs in closer to his chest. What had started off as a fun and exciting night, only to be met with the thrill from the thought of seeing Seren again, was quickly dwindling down into a minor footnote of disappointment. Well, not a total disappointment, that would be too much of a generalization. There still was a present waiting back inside for him. Jack grinned lightly. A real Christmas present.

With one final look to the stars, Jack let out a long sigh. He had waited long enough, and there was no sign of her. He let his staff hang by his side in disappointment before drifting back inside. Shoving a hand inside his hoodie's pocket, he walked back to the others. Only someone else was already with them. His glacial eyes went wide. There was no mistaking that blonde hair and white clothing.

"Seren..."

Whether she heard him or not, he did not know. Even still, she turned around, warm eyes settling onto him before she smiled.

"Jack! Took yoo longk enough to geet down here." North placed a hand on Seren's shoulder. "See? She made eet!"

"Yeah... Wait, wait, wait. Took me long enough? Whaddaya mean? No one told me anything!"

"What? Bunny vent and called yoo."

"Oh, he did, did he?" Jack shot a glance to Bunnymund.

"Whut? Sorreh, mate. Yuh just must nottah heard me," grinned the rabbit.

"Yeah. Sure."

"Enough. Enough! We all here now. Eet time for dhe presents!"

Jack's grin quickly returned. Presents! A hop in his step, he hurried to the tree to reclaim the two presents that still rested there. Only once he and Seren had theirs did everyone begin to open their gifts. For a moment, Jack just stared at his, running his hand over the smooth wrapping paper that glistened with each shift in the surface. A gift. A gift just for him. Smiling, he looked up to the others who were busy with their own gifts, each opening the presents in a different manner. It was just like the memories of his former life that had trickled back to him more and more. It was just like when he had had a family...

A sniffle escaped him. After shaking his head to push aside the bittersweet thoughts, Jack tore into the present. Wrapping paper fell to the ground uselessly. But that was not the end. Joy and anticipation swelled up inside of him as Jack managed to lift the lid off of the plain box which then allowed him to finally see his gift. A chuckle slipped past his grinning lips.

"Cute," he muttered.

"Oh, they're lovely!" praised Toothiana, holding up her own gift. Jack looked up to see her holding a necklace of pearls. Or...not. Upon closer inspection, he noted that the necklace was in fact a string of teeth. Seeing such a gift made everyone laugh. As silly as it looked to the others, Toothiana was still enamoured by it. "Each and every one a perfect white tooth! Ahh! And would you look at that!" She held the front of the necklace in her hand. "Aw, and the main one has some blood and gums on it still! That's just great!" A warm giggle escaped her as she hugged the necklace of teeth against her chest. "I have to know, where did you manage to get these teeth?"

"Yoo vould be surprised by what yoo kin find at sport arena," answered North, chuckling warmly.

"Hah! Clever! Thank you, North." Toothiana flew over and gave him a warm hug before settling back in her place and putting on the necklace.

"Well, it luhks nice an' awl, but, North, mate, a hat fer me?" asked Bunnymund, trying not to sound so disappointed. The giant rabbit pointed to the top of his head where ears twitched.

"Look closer."

His face scrunching up, Bunnymund inspected the Australian bush hat some more. "Oh! Hahah. Awlso clevah." Grinning, he was able to put the hat on due to the holes that had been made for his ears. "Yuh do think of eet awl."

"What about you, Sandy?" asked Toothiana, hovering excitedly in the air with her helpers. Grinning from ear to ear, Sandy held up a dream catcher. The others chuckled while the Sandman was ever silent.

"Ah! New bells for reindeer! Dhis is good, dhey were getting a beet dull."

"Hol' on a tick. Yoh'rah Santa! Who got yuh a geeft?"

"Is little sumdhing from yetis an' elves." North waved a hand to dismiss that detail.

"What did you get, Jack?" asked Toothiana, fluttering closer to the young Guardian.

Chuckling under his breath, Jack held up his gift. "Scarf and mittens." It was cute, and thoughtfully amusing, which was enough for Jack, though the items themselves were not all that useful to him. He did not mind. It was not much different for a hat for Bunnymund, more teeth for Toothiana, and a dream catcher for Sandy. Each gift had been more of a little joke than anything practical, save for North's. "Go on, Seren, what did you get?" Throwing the scarf around his neck for good measure, Jack looked over to the star.

She still sat there, quietly, her gift unopened on her lap. Warm eyes had been watching each of them, waiting to see what the other gifts would be.

"Oh!" Fumbling over her gift, Seren began to slowly undo the wrapping. "Sorry. It was just so different seeing people open presents around you rather than watching it from afar." Jack found himself frowning in thought. He had forgotten that all she could do as a star was watch the people of Earth—and possibly other planets, which she _still_ would neither conform nor deny. Enjoying something like this was a novelty for her. Wrapping paper on the ground, and the box opened, Seren pulled out her gift. It was a hand-sized model of the Earth. If it was meant to be a little joke like the other gifts, Jack certainly did not get it. Even Seren's brow began to furrow in confusion.

Before she could ask anything, North walked over to her and wrapped his large hands around hers and the globe. "So dhat now yoo kin watch over and protect _all_ Earff, not just nordhern part. Like a _true_ Guardian."

Mouth agape, Seren looked up at North. She tried a few times to find the right words, until, "But...why? I just... I just guide people. I don't _protect_ anyone... I-I don't even grant wishes!"

"Nonsense! You protect dhose who are ever lost, on dhe street or in dheir life. Children, adults, dhose who believe and dhose who don't. You protect _all_. Vheech makes yoo honorary Guardian!"

Looking back down at the small globe that was now back in only her hands, Seren seemed to be processing all that North had said. At last, a smile tugged at her lips. "Thank you," she whispered, chuckling lightly. "I never thought I'd get to experience anything like this..."

"And now yoo have!" Turning around, North clapped his hands together. "So, now vhat?"

"Actually, I'm afraid I should get going," said Toothiana. She sighed. "Teeth still need to be collected. But, thank you for the gift, North. This was a wonderful idea. We should do it more often!" Her bright mood returning, Toothiana zoomed over to Seren and gave the star a warm hug. "And it was great to see you so soon, Seren. Don't be a stranger and visit us whenever you can!"

Sandy was next to have to part ways. Bringing dreams to those were were sleeping was a time-consuming role. In his own way, Sandy said goodbye, giving Seren a handshake as well.

"Yeah, uh, I need ta get goin' too." Bunnymund coughed before hopping over a bit further away so he could easily open up a hole. "Oh! Wait a tick. Frost, c'mere." Before Jack could say anything, Bunnymund's paw was wrapped around his shoulder and pulled him over. He grunted in annoyance, swatting away the paw. "The key ta havin' the eggs fawnd is ta hide 'em well, but not _too_ well."

Jack blinked, his face gradually contorting in confusion. "Was that _meant_ to be a _metaphor_?"

Sighing, Bunnymund flicked his paw at Jack's forehead. "Yuh'll figyah eet awt. Well, see yuh awl latah! Seren, wus lahvleh ta see yuh again." With a quick salute, Bunnymund then tapped his foot on the floor. Part of the ground sunk away to create a passageway to his intricate tunnel system. One hop later, and it was gone. Still confused, Jack stood there a bit longer, staring at where Bunnymund had been.

"Well, I do have verk. I trust yoo two kin see yoorselves out?"

And that was when it hit him: Jack was now the only one left with Seren. North patted her once more on her shoulder before retreating into his office.

"Uh... H-hey..." stammered Jack, switching glances between Seren and North's back. With a final wave over his shoulder, North headed into his office and closed the door behind him. "Well..." Swallowing, Jack looked back to Seren. Was she going to leave now as well? "H-how long are you here?"

"Just until morning."

"Oh... Did... Did you have any plans for that time?"

She shrugged. "Not really. I thought I'd be doing more stuff here with how North made it sound when he passed on the invitation." Frowning, she glanced over her shoulder to where North had gone. "Maybe I should just return early."

"No! I-I mean... Why do that when you still have the rest of the night to spend on Earth? C'mon. The others may have left, but I can still show you some things!" Smiling, he held out his hand to her. It took her only a second to decide before she laced her fingers through his. Chuckling, Jack smirked before racing out of North's place. If she only had until morning, every moment mattered. "See ya, Phil!" He waved at the yeti as they passed by, soon met by the cool evening air. "Hey, wind! Take us on a little trip!"

Answering his call, the wind swirled up around them. Snow blurred their vision for a moment, but that passed when they were high up in the air, both now being carried by the wind. Jack did not let go of her hand as he took her off to one place he had in mind. It was a shame. There were so many things he would have loved to have shown her, but there just was no time. Maybe if he raced the morning with each different timezone, she could stay longer, but that in the end would be only delaying the inevitable, and would also remove any chance of showing her some great sights.

It took a few hours, but it was worth it. Even the journey itself was pleasant—flying in and out of the clouds, chasing tendrils of the mist, looping up so high that it felt like they could touch the stars. But, Jack kept reminding himself that he already was with one.

"Here we are!" he declared as the wind settled them down on a rooftop. Seren stumbled a little, not used to the means of travel. A cry of excitement escaped her as she hurried to the edge of the roof to get an even better view. Jack chuckled lightly, slowly striding up to join her by her side, content with his decision for a final location. The glow from the lights lit up the night around them and made for a gorgeous sight. "Pretty neat, huh?" For a final touch, he brought a small snow fall. The flecks of white glistened in the light as they drifted down before joining the already blanketed land.

"It's lovely," she muttered, taking a seat on the edge of her roof. Jack joined her side again, dangling his feet over and rocking them back and forth. For a moment, she studied the globe that was still in her hand, running her fingers over the continents. "Is this where we are now?" Holding up her gift, she pointed out one area of the land to Jack.

"Yep! St. Petersburg." Across the streets from them was the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, lit up in all its glory.

Seren smiled and leaned back, her posture finally relaxing. "It's so nice to see all of this from here..."

"So, is this one of the normal visits you can get?"

"No." She shook her head. "This was a special occasion that the others allowed when the Man in the Moon sent North's request." The globe she held rolled back and forth in her hands, almost sombrely. "A normal visit requires...quite some time for planning—you'd be surprised. I was just allowed this because North asked for it, and you guys are Guardians, not regular humans."

"So..." Jack stopped swinging his legs and gripped his staff tighter. "If I was to ask for you to visit...would that work too?" He kept his glacial eyes cast down, unable to look to see if Seren had a good or bad reaction. His hands wrung over the frosty surface of his gnarled staff. Why was his heart beating so much?

"I'm not sure," she finally answered.

Jack let go of the breath he had unintentionally been holding in. It was not the best of answers, but it was not the worst either. It left room for hope. There was the chance he could see her more often. "Well, we should then make the most of this night! You need to have some fun while here. C'mon, how do ya feel for a snowball fight or some skating? I can teach you!" Rising, he held out his hand to her. The smile on his face began to falter as she merely stared at his hand.

"No." Jack found his heart nearly shatter from that single word. Reaching up, she still took his hand and pulled him back down. "I did enough last time I was here. This time...I just want to stay like this and enjoy what I can see." With a sigh, he nodded in understanding. While he would certainly much rather go and have fun, staying on the roof was not so bad.

Once again, Jack was able to swing his legs back and forth. The silence settled between them, broken only by the soft wind that blew by now and then, causing the flakes of snow to dance around.

"Here," he muttered. Taking his own gift, Jack tossed the scarf around Seren's neck. Her bright eyes looked up at him, confused. Smiling lightly, he tugged the scarf snugly around them, shifting over slightly due to the length of the fabric. "So you don't get too cold." Though he had just thought it to be a joke, his gift had a practicality to it after all. Not so much for keeping them warm—Jack knew he could not get cold, and he knew Seren could not get cold, in fact, she radiated warmth—but for just bringing them together.

"What's so funny?"

Jack stopped chuckling. When had he started? Clearing his throat, Jack shook his head softly. "Nothing." Pursing his lips together, he smiled softly again. Had this been the true purpose behind North's gift after all? It could not be the case... And yet... Jack would not put it past the old man. "Say, Seren?" When her eyes settled on him again, Jack felt his throat close up. "Ah, never mind..." Huffing, he hugged his staff to him and cast his gaze down, hiding from the matter. Hiding too well. Jack blinked and looked up at the church. Like Bunnymund had said, he needed to hide, but not hide too well. He felt himself bristling as the thought settled in more. How many of the other Guardians knew? "What is it?" he asked when he noticed that Seren was still studying him.

Softly, she smiled smiled before shaking her head. "Nothing. Just..." With a sigh, she tugged on the scarf around her neck, pulling them closer before she let her head rest on his shoulder. If his throat had closed up before, now it went completely dry. Her warmth pierced through his cold exterior that had been left alone for three-hundred years. "Just enjoying what I get to see while here... Enjoying my time wi—" Her words were cut off as Jack kissed her. A frigid snowstorm crashed into a torrent of heat. With her being able to see all from her place among the stars, it was time to stop hiding so well. Not to mention, it was best to make good on the brief time given to them. For her, it may have seemed no longer than the blink of an eye in her long life, but for Jack, for whom time also was somewhat slated, it felt like an eternity.

Breaking away, he grabbed onto the scarf to hold her close. "Well... Not a nip on the nose, but I hope it'll do..."

A smile began to tug at her lips as she rested her head against his shoulder. That was a good sign, much better than a frown. "It was nicer than snowflakes." Jack chuckled at her comment, increasing the amount of snow fall. He remembered her first time experiencing a snowfall, and how she liked the feeling of the snowflakes on her skin. As a star, she had never felt anything like it before.

But Jack's own smile faltered, a heavy feeling lingering over his heart. "I don't suppose I could make a wish to stop time..."

"Afraid not. Wishes like that are immediately rejected. But don't think like that in the first place."

"Why not? Then you could stay here."

"But I'll be able to see you again. Time always continues on. You just have to enjoy it...like tonight." She settled against him. Jack sighed and enjoyed the feel of her against him, of just having her be there_ with_ him again. Slowly, however, he smirked, his playful side unable to stay contained for long. "Ah, Jack!" she yelped. Chuckling, he pulled away and hovered in the air, a safe distance away from her. "What was that for?!" Trying to stand, she failed and fell back down. Ice spread up her clothes, freezing her to the ground.

"Hah!" Flipping around in the air, Jack let out a quick holler of a laugh. Settling onto his back, he looped once around her for good measure, making sure that if any of the ice cracked, it was refrozen. "Now you _have_ to stay here! And see?" Hopping back down onto the roof, he kicked up his staff and slung it over his shoulder. "I didn't have to stop time to do it."

Seren chuckled. "Jack..."

With a sigh, he squatted down next to her. Tapping his staff against the ice, he shattered it and freed her. "I know..."

Smiling, she leaned over and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for this night."


	6. Step By Step

**A/N:** So, while all the others have been one-shots, this one was written with the previous story, One More Night, in mind as the prequel (and therefore, the main story I want to write would also be a sequel). Hopefully if you're here, you've already read that one, but if not, it's not critical. This can still stand alone.

This one breaks apart from the others a bit, as most of it is from Seren's side, but there's still plenty of Jack at the start, middle, and end! I also wanted to write more of the other Guardians, hence the interactions. This also has North's and Bunny's accents written out as they sound; hopefully you can understand what they're saying!

Enjoy!

* * *

**Step By Step**

Jack was perched on top of a roof, watching his temporary playground unfold. Kids who were still up, mainly older ones since those younger were most likely drifting to sleep at the time, played in the freshly fallen snow. They were talking of a possible snow day tomorrow, hoping that the snow would continue to fall and pile up too much for the town to clear. A light smirk tugged at his lips as he leaned over to look down at those below.

"Oh yeah, you'll get a snow day." Jack chuckled under his breath. Part of him looked to see if anyone heard him, if just maybe that one person who could see him, believe in him, looked up. But none such a gaze travelled to the rooftop. He sighed and leaned back. Granted, more believed in him now. Outside of Jamie and his friends, the odd child in a town would see him, and even thank him for bringing winter and fun. However, those amounts were still nothing compared to the children that believed in other Guardians, or even other spirits. Despite the amounts, it was still a start.

A glint of light caught his eye in from the distance. It reflected off the snow he had brought to the town, those small grains of sand that created the light intermingling nicely with the frozen precipitation. After creating a couple more patches of ice, Jack jumped into the air, allowing the currents of wind to take him. He followed the flowing trails of sand to their source above the scattered clouds. Brushing his hands along the finest sand in the world, he watched as dolphins sprung to life, swimming and playing around him before their golden forms swam away and rejoined the rest of the sand that drifted down to the houses below.

"Hey Sandy! On time, as always," greeted Jack when he neared the heart of the tendrils of sand. The Sandman sat atop his cloud of golden sand, smiling at Jack in welcome while he continued to weave out the dream sand to send to all those sleeping below. For a moment, Jack simply drifted there, next to Sandy, never once feeling the silence between them as unsettling. "Giving the kids good dreams?"

Sandy nodded, shooting some sand playfully at Jack. Like before, the sand formed into excited dolphins before disappearing. Grinning, Jack looked back to the Sandman, making sense of the images that formed for communication purposes.

"Oh, y'know, just giving the kids one last taste of winter before Mother Nature decides to shoo me from these parts." The Guardian of Fun made a dismissive gesture with his hand. It was fun to play with Mother Nature towards the end of winter in the areas that were reluctant in allowing spring to come. Annoying her was all right, incurring her wrath was not. Jack winced lightly at the thought. Her wrath was no small feat, and he had learned his lesson in the past not to overstep his bounds at the start of spring.

Sandy gave a wry chuckle, silent, of course. Several more images appeared above his head, each flowing from one to the next to convey his message. Jack lay back on the wind, slinging his elbows over his staff. He tilted his head curiously, not entirely certain he got the Sandman's correct message.

"Somewhere else?" Jack's brow knitted together. "Why should I be somewhere else? There are only so many places I can bring a snow day this time of year, and this town is as good as any." At his answer, Sandy only sighed and shook his head. In the next moment, he created a new image above his head: a floating orb of sand with its own tiny tendrils peeling off of it at random intervals, some larger and some like explosions. Jack frowned. "Uh...I don't get it."

A silent huff of annoyance escaped Sandy. Frowning, he pointed above his head where two more of the orbs appeared, each swirling around each other in graceful movements. Jack pursed his lips together and looked at the orbs, trying to figure out what the sandy images meant. Nothing. He was drawing an utter blank. Feeling foolish, Jack righted himself and held his staff close, as though it would help give him an answer. All he could do was shake his head.

Fed up, Sandy pointed both hands to above his head, little spouts of sand, pretending to be smoke in anger, coming from his ears. One more image joined the three orbs, being different from those that preceded it. A small figure appeared, the orbs circling around her. Jack nearly faltered in the air, gripping onto his staff tighter as though to support himself.

"Seren?" he asked, the images finally making sense to him. The Sandman nodded, that look of frustration completely vanishing. Jack really had to remember that those orbs Sandy would create meant a star. After being so accustomed to seeing stars as small, twinkling lights from afar, he forgot that they were really massive spheres of flaming gases...that liked to watch back as much as people liked to watch them. Jack allowed himself a smile at the thought of the stars, of Seren. That smile, however, faded away into a thoughtful frown. "What about Seren?"

The images above Sandy's head altered. The figure representing Seren vanished as did the orbs. In their place came an image of the moon. That then rose and settled, followed by an image of the sun, which also rose and settled. The moon returned, only to then be replaced by the sun. It continued on like that, day to night, night to day, on and on until Sandy stopped the cycle.

Jack pursed his lips together pensively. It was almost like a game of charades, trying to figure out what it was Sandy meant by his images. "Time passing?" ventured the young Guardian. Sandy smiled and nodded some more, pointing vigorously up at the still images above his head. There was something else, something more to the message behind those images. "Days to weeks. Weeks to months. Months to years..." Jack breathed out slowly, hoping he had figured out that true message. "It's Seren's time to visit! Has it been that long already? Wait, wait, when's she coming?"

Last she spoke to them, Seren had delivered the news that she would be able to visit for a short time every thirteen of their months. It was meant to be once a year, but she had asked for the slight offset so that, in time, she would be able to enjoy the changing of seasons. For her, it would be just a small amount of time to wait in the incredibly long life of stars, but Jack knew those thirteen months would drag on forever if he thought about it too much. And so he had tried his hardest to forget about it, and just let himself be surprised when the time came around for her to visit, which had worked out much better than he thought.

The image of the sun settled and rose again. "_Tomorrow_?" Jack practicality jumped in excitement. Time really could fly when having fun. The past thirteen months had gone by like they were nothing to him as well. A soft laugh escaped him, both from excitement and feeling foolish for having completely forgotten about her visit. "I see what you mean now." An idea dawned on Jack, glancing up to the stars above them. Her visit would only be for a few days before she was gone again, left to only watch from afar. "Gotta go, Sandy! I'll see you soon!"

Sandy waved farewell as Jack flipped backwards onto the currents of air. He left the Sandman to weave his dream sand for everybody to dream, creating a few more dolphins for a quick smile. This time, those small orbs that represented stars drifted by the playful creatures before they all joined the other streams flowing to the land below.

"Hey, wind!" called out Jack, receiving an answer before he even had to ask "You know where to go!" If he was lucky, he would have just enough time.

* * *

"Seren! Eet good to see yoo agin! Safe treep, I hope?" greeted North. Music filled the room, all the elves eager to play for an occasion.

The star materialized, her reformed feet settling onto the floor of the workshop. Light that had been radiating from her as she shifted to human form faded, receding back into her core and gone from sight. She smiled softly, her eyes passing over each of the elves in turn in silent thanks.

"It was just fine. Thank you, North. But please, there's really no need to make such a commotion for my visit." It was an embarrassment, to be honest, but she could not bring herself to tell that to North. However, the elves sensed the mood and stopped playing. One of them even threw down his little trumpet in frustration before huffing off. "Sorry," she muttered, regretting having said anything at all. Feeling bad, she winced lightly before gripping some of her hair to wring, a habit she had developed.

"Ach, don'd verry about dhem." North chuckled, the sound resonated from deep within his chest, before waving aside the matter. "Dhey liek dhe excuse to maek noise. And more cookiez! Dingle! Bringk dhe cookiez." North waved one of his massive hands, gesturing for an elf to come forward.

"Oh, no, really." Her protests were not heard. There was a light scampering of feet with the jingle of the bells.

Seren looked through the mass of elves. Each was slightly different from the next, but she had not yet learned names to each of the faces. So many, and she was only around for a little time each visit. Learning their names was still on her list, and would be accomplished. Some of the elves parted, allowing for one in particular to pass through, balancing a large plate before him. The star blinked and gripped her hair tighter, looking at that plate in confusion. There were crumbs, but no cookies.

"Um..."

"Dingle! Vhere are dhe cookiez?"

Hunched over in preparation for a scolding, the little elf looked up to North forlornly before glancing back down to the plate. Those large eyes, that often held a permanent look of crazed excitement, were wide with knotted brows above it, nearly hidden under the red hat. He could not look any more sheepish if he tried. At last, Dingle opened his mouth and allowed one cookie to fall back onto the plate, one single lone cookie that hardly covered the surface of the plate.

"No thanks," chuckled Seren, grimacing lightly at the thought of eating a cookie that had already been partially devoured. Not seeing what the other cookies looked like was for the best. "I'm fine, really." Dingle shot one more apologetic look before retaking the last cookie and scampering off, the sound of his bell fading off with him. Shaking her head and chuckling, Seren finally took a look around. The yetis were busy making toys, many of their new contraptions moving about the workshop to make sure everything was functioning properly. The elves that had not been part of the welcoming were testing some odds and ends, proving how easy it was to get shocked in the process. And yet, despite all the hustle and bustle, there was an emptiness to the place as well.

Seren looked back to North, taking a moment to tuck some hair behind her ear so she could gather her thoughts properly before speaking. "Are the other Guardians busy?" she asked, taking one last look to make sure one of them was not simply hiding or arriving at that very moment.

Though she had only visited Earth a couple times since helping with the Fates, each time she came to the planet there was at least one other there to greet her. It was not even like they did not know where she would show up either. For simplicities, she always came to the North Pole first, in part to have a constant arrival destination that the others all knew, but also because it was the fastest place she could get to. Being the North Star, the North Pole was closer than somewhere else on the world, even if it was just by a small amount in the grand scheme of things.

For a moment, North's jolly look faltered. He stroked his moustache, eyes glancing around like hers had before settling back on Seren. A thoughtful grin tugged at his lips, causing Seren to wonder what it was he was thinking. "I afraid so. But don't let dhat keep you down! I'm certain you weel get chance to see them all before you go. So!" His joyous voice returning, North headed to Seren's side and placed his large yet gentle hands on her shoulders. "Did you have anydhingk special planned for viseet?"

"Nothing too much. I was planning on spending time with each of you and travelling a little. Hopefully see more of the southern hemisphere, if I can."

"Good! Good. Vell, seence you are here, let's have you try to make toy! Sound fun?"

Seren grinned up at North, excitement already bubbling up inside of her. Getting to do anything on Earth was a lot of fun, let alone making toys that brought such joy to the children. "That sounds like a lovely idea."

* * *

"Did you have anything planned while here?" asked Toothiana, buzzing around in front of Seren. Her bright smile made it all the way to her wide eyes. Several Baby Teeth fluttered closer to the star, their voices trilling together and becoming impossible to tell which one was making which noise. Seren chuckled, delighted to see all of their bubbly personalities again. She raised a hand to the little fairies, who swiftly swirled around the fingers. One even found its way through her hair, chirping happily after exiting from the golden strands in glee.

"Not really," admitted Seren with a sigh, rolling her fingers for the little fairies to play through. "I didn't want to stay long knowing how busy you are." Unlike North or Bunnymund, who only had to have one big day of work a year, Toothiana worked every hour of every day collecting teeth.

"Nonsense! I'm sure there's at least a little something you can do here."

"Like what?"

For a moment, Toothiana's warm smile faltered. Even she was having trouble coming up with ideas. It would have been silent between them if not for the chirps from the Baby Teeth. "I got it!" exclaimed Toothiana, nearly making Seren jump in surprise. The Guardian zipped forward and grasped Seren's hands, the little fairies quick to get out of the way. "You'll come with me to collect some teeth! That way you can see some more of the world and we can spend some more time together! What do you say?"

Seren chuckled at Toothiana's eagerness. She nodded at the offer and was about to say how it was a good idea when Toothiana pulled her into the air. The star cried out in surprise, not having expected to leave so soon before laughing some more and making it onto her own two feet, not needing the Tooth Fairy's help to make it through the air.

Tendrils of light, reminiscent of a shooting star, followed the two as they made their way to a town not too far away. The closer the better, that much Toothiana could figure out, so that Seren could have enough time for visiting the others.

Seren created steps of light into the room after Toothiana once she had dove for a building to find a tooth. The fairy spun around and pressed something small into the star's hand.

"Go on! You do it!" Smiling, Toothiana gestured towards the bed where a young child slept. Seren felt herself freeze for a moment, gripping the small coin tightly.

What if she messed it up somehow? There were not many ways to go wrong, but Seren was certain she would find a way. Dealing with the Guardians was one thing, dealing with humans was another. That was a realm was normally off-limits to stars. Others may grant wishes and alter the fates of humans, but they were never meant to interact directly with people, even when visiting. Seren looked hesitantly to Toothiana, not sure how to proceed.

The fairy sighed before shaking her head. Fluttering behind the star, she gave Seren a little nudge to get started. That was enough. Walking silently over to the bed, Seren slipped the coin under the pillow, blindly searching for the tooth that was hidden beneath so she could replace it. It did not take long to find. A smile tugged at her lips when she successfully switched the two objects and so she began to pull her hand back out when the child rolled over, his weight shifting over her limb.

A light hiss escaped her, worried that the child would wake up and see her. There was always that chance of a person seeing a star, and more so for children. Generally being seen was not a great problem, for a star could blend into the crowds, but if she was seen now, that would be a little harder to explain. Holding her breath, Seren slowly wiggled her hand out from underneath the pillow, trying her hardest not to disturb the young boy. Only when her hand was freed and the child having not stirred any more did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Toothiana giggled. "All right. To the next house!" The fairy zipped out of the room, back through the open window, nothing more than a blur of feathers. Seren laughed before clamping a mouth over her hand, remembering to keep quiet inside the room. Her eyes dashed over to the sleeping child who stirred a little before rolling back over. She smiled warmly then hurried after Toothiana before it became impossible to find where the fairy had went.

Seren was led into house after house. Each time, Toothiana gave her a coin to slip under the pillow in place of the tooth. For a moment, the star settled down, crouching before the bed to study the young girl. It was a different experience entirely to see them, to see all the people, while on Earth than from her place amongst the other stars.

"I can see why you enjoy this," she whispered, glancing over to Toothiana. "You give them so much with what you do."

"You do as well, you know." Toothiana nudged Seren. "Don't ever forget that. You are important to all of us..." The fairy chuckled slightly before rewording her idea. "Okay, so important to those in the northern hemisphere. But that's still a lot of people! Besides, each children you've visited tonight gets an extra special gift."

"What?"

"They had their own star looking over them."

Seren chuckled, looking back to the sleeping child. She may have been just one other star with all the others, but she was not just some other star to those on Earth.

* * *

Sitting on a pool of light, Seren looked down to all the houses. Rivers of sand flowed through the town, creatures forming from all the combined imaginations of the people below. She leaned forward, trying to see as much of the town and sights as she could. So vast and mystical. She loved all of it. The smile she wore started to hurt her cheeks, but she did not care. Sandy was perched atop his cloud of sand, allowing all those below to have dreams filled with love, hope, wonder, and more.

"Sandy?" started Seren softly, standing on her pool of light that kept her in the air. She walked over to the weaver of dreams, keeping silent in the company of the mute Guardian. There was not much to talk about with Sandy, and she did not mind one bit. It was nice to simply spend time in his presence, not needing to say any words to enjoy each other's company. His golden eyes, like that of warm sand radiating warmth it has stored up from basking in the sun, shifted to the star, smiling lightly in anticipation for what she had yet to say. "You're able to make anyone fall asleep, correct?"

The Guardian nodded. Several Zs appeared above his head, made from his sand, while he pretended to fall asleep to help illustrate his point. No one was impervious to his dream sand.

Feeling awkward, Seren tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "Could you... Would you...be able to put me to sleep to dream? If it's possible. I don't even know if stars _can_ dream, let alone sleep. We're always awake, even though people think we're only out at night. There's no rest like...like..." Her eyelids were becoming heavy. It was difficult to finish her thoughts now. A weight was pressing down on her, not uncomfortable, but one that made her no longer want to stand.

Her eyes fluttered back to Sandy. A warm smile was on his face as a few flecks of the dream sand that had been sent at Seren still drifted away from the palm of his hand. She had begun to ramble on while Sandy attempted to fill her request. A soft chuckle escaped her as her body settled back onto her pool of light as if on its own accord.

"Thank you," she murmured softly before her eyelids fully shut. Being asleep was almost more entertaining than being awake. She had been awake for thousands upon thousands of years, and only now was her first time to sleep.

Sandy smiled lightly before returning his attention to all the other dreams he had to watch over. He did find it amusing, at least, a silent chuckle escaping him, that the sand circling above her head as she drifted through the land of dreams for the first time formed into snowflakes.

* * *

"Catch you next time, Phil. Hey, North!" Jack threw a quick wave in farewell to the yeti before turning to greet Santa. The sturdy man blinked in surprise at Jack, an in-progress ice sculpture in his hands. Another little piece of wonder to add to the world, figured Jack.

"Jack Frost! Vhat are yoo doingk here?" North stared down at the young Guardian. Jack nudged some elves who had begun to swarm him away, making sure to lightly frost their clothes. "If yoo're here for Seren's arrival, I'm afraid yoo're late."

"I know, I know." Jack sighed, pursing his lips together. It had been frustrating to miss her arrival, to not see her when she first came back to Earth, but he had needed the time. Even visiting the workshop to get in his request to the Guardian of Wonder was taking up more time than he wanted. "But I got a favour I need to ask of you."

"Oh?" North's eyes twinkled when he brushed his hands over his white beard. "And vhat ees dhat?"

Jack rubbed his foot against the back of his calf, unable to completely repress the embarrassment that was gnawing in the pit of his stomach. He gripped his staff tighter, part of him wanting to use it as a shield to hide behind. He had hoped to prepare everything by himself, but he could not. Help was needed, and that meant someone else would have to, to some degree, know about what he had planned.

"There are some things I need made...and made pretty quickly." Jack grunted lightly when a strong hand clamped on his back without restraint. He looked up to a smiling North. That look made his embarrassment fade away; there was no harm in asking for help or having someone else know. Especially when that person most likely already knew.

North began to guide Jack back through the workshop. "Yoo have come to right place."

* * *

The grass was warm and soft, each blade bending to create the perfect cushion against the ground. Seren breathed in deep the scent of the earth beneath her. It was so different from the environment she was accustomed to being in. While space had its own peculiarities that she had come to know as normal, and did enjoy as her home, there was nothing like the lush plant life that could cover the surface of a planet. Other stars liked frozen wastelands, then there were those that preferred lands that were constantly shifting from raging volcanic activity. Each star had a preference, and there were plenty of planets to provide each star their ideal place to visit.

Earth had been her perfect place. Not only was there a pleasant sample of different environments, but the creatures, from the smallest bacteria to the largest beasts, also provided interest. Many things about the world left her happy, including the simple, yet wonderful, sensation of the grass against her skin. And there was no softer grass on Earth than there was in the Warren.

"I thought sombodeh had gotten intah my Warren," chuckled a familiar voice. "Hahw'd yeh get in 'ere withawt one of my rabbeet holes?"

Seren rolled onto her back to see a a tall Pooka staring down at her. She grinned before running her hands through the blades of grass, enjoying the feel of them tickling across her skin all too much. "The same way all the other light reaches this place." Rising, she dusted off her hands before greeting the Easter Bunny.

"How long left have yeh gawt for yehr vacation?"

She tucked some hair behind her ear. "Just one more day."

"I see... And gave yeh seen ihvryone else yet?" All she did was shake her head in response. "Ahhw, have hope. I'm sure yuh'll see ihvryone before yeh go."

A soft chuckle escaped her, Bunnymund's attempt at brightening her mood working well enough. "Of course you'd be the one to say that. But I thought you'd get it by now: I can _see_ everyone easily enough, it's spending time _with_ them that's the difficult part."

"Fair enough. C'mon. Leht's make sure that eet's toime well spent here!"

Her previously glum mood over the realization that she only had barely more than one day on Earth was left behind as she followed Bunnymund. He hopped through his Warren, picking up speed when Seren began to toy with the idea of a race. It was all good fun, and Seren made sure to keep herself from travelling at the speed of light, there would be no competition in that.

They made several loops around the Warren, each getting faster with each pass. It was one thing to simply travel fast, for most of her life, Seren had remained still (granted all stars were moving farther and farther away from each other, along with any planets that revolved around them, or any other body in space, but that was not of their own will), only ever travelling fast when visiting a relative or enjoying vacation time on a planet, it was another to race against someone. So exhilarating, so addictive. Every time that she and Bunnymund rounded a corner, she found herself laughing before pushing herself to go even faster. Never had she thought that moving fast could be so much fun.

"Ah, jahst don't tell Frost," huffed Bunnymund as he took a seat on the ground, their race over. Seren laughed, jogging around the Easter Bunny to slow herself down gradually rather than coming to a complete halt. "I'd nevah leeve it dahwn from him if he knew I lawst."

"My lips are sealed," chuckled Seren. She settled fully down, crossing her legs and sitting befoe the Easter Bunny. Once more her eyes wandered to absorb the wonders of the Warren. The walking eggs continued their duties, from the little ones to the massive stone ones. Things were calm since Easter was finished for the year.

"Say, Seren?"

"What is it?" Her brow rose in concern, not having expected to hear Bunnymund sounding so worried. He took to inspecting a boomerang, looking over every inch of it in close observation. It was a small distraction at best. That plan failing, he sighed and lowered the boomerang, unable to look directly at the star.

"As far as yeh know, are...are there any othah Pookas? Y'know, on othah planets an' such."

Seren sighed, a sombre frown tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Bunny... You know I can't answer that." It was one of the rules she had to follow as a star. There were some that she walked along the line, making certain not to cross, but others she stayed far away from even the chance of crossing. Answering whether or not there was life on other planets was one such rule. If they had to ask, then they were not ready.

"I know... I jahst thought...maybe... Could yeh at least give me a yes or no for any othahs?"

A pang of guilt tore through her. "I _can't_ answer." That look on his face made her want to cross that line. Reaching out, she placed a hand on his shoulder, waiting until he finally met her gaze with his green eyes. "Have hope, Bunny."

* * *

The water and ice glistened. Spring was making its entrance, gradually thawing the small lake and freeing the water that had been sleeping beneath the ice over the course of the winter. At its edge sat Seren, hugging her knees to her chest. A soft sigh slipped past her lips. One final afternoon. It was her last few hours on Earth before she had to return home. With only a few hours left, perhaps it would be better to just cut her vacation time short and head home now. But, like she had told Bunnymund, she had to have hope, have hope to see him before waiting another year.

She had done her rounds easily enough, and even had some fun seeing more of the world and its changing seasons in the process. North, Toothiana, Sandy, and Bunny had all been happy to see her again, especially since there were no dire reasons for her visit. And yet, she was still missing one. One of the rules surrounding her visits was that she could only interact with the Guardians, no one else, be they human or other spirits. But there was one she had not seen.

Finding him from her location in space would have been an easy enough task, given that he had been in the Northern Hemisphere. While she was on Earth, finding him was not so easy. Perhaps it was a bad month for her to visit. Winter was fading away in many places, giving way to spring. Did he recede as well? Taking time off and enjoying is small break that comes with summer. She had never taken note of it before. Next year, she would make sure to ask—

"Agh!" Seren yelled in surprise. Cold and wet began to drip down the back of her head. It was uncomfortable, and yet it made her smile. That laugh that filled the air made her smile even more. A gust of wind swirled around her, snowflakes dancing on its currents. Not caring at all about the snow that clung to her, Seren rose and turned to greet her visitor warmly.

Jack playfully tossed another snowball up and down in his hand, smirking at the star that he had finally found. "Y'know, you're a lot harder to find when you're not in the sky," he chuckled, letting the snowball fall to the ground now that it was not needed to get her attention.

"Same can be said about you," retorted Seren with a toying grin. Jack pursed his lips together in thought before realizing she could see more of Earth at once than he ever did. All the people. All the routines. All of it was like a play unfolding before her when she watched from her place in the sky. "How did you manage to find me?"

"Ah, I just knew where to look." It was not the truth. She did not need to know that he got help from North again. "So, am I too late?"

Seren shook her head softly. "No. You're just in time."

"Great! C'mon. There's something I want to share with you." He took her hand in his once he was close enough and allowed the wind to take him.

"Wait. Where are we going? What's with that pack you're carrying?"

Jack chuckled. "Don't worry, you'll see what the surprise is soon enough!"

* * *

The wind dropped Jack on the ground, Seren landing safely beside him. He was grinning so much his cheeks began to hurt. They had made it, and with time to spare.

"Ireland, right?" she asked, looking over the small town.

Jack laughed and nodded. She had been able to track where they were after all. It had probably helped that they were still northern hemisphere. Had they they travelled south, it would have been more difficult.

"You got it." Slinging the pack from his shoulder, Jack was terrible at containing his excitement. "You remember one of the things you said you loved most about Earth?"

"That list is quite extensive... Care to narrow it down?"

He chuckled, largely at himself for forgetting that Seren really did enjoy almost every aspect of his world. Even stars liked what they could not have, what was always out of reach. Or, in Seren's case, out of reach for most of the year. Jack began to unclasp the pack he had been carrying. "Right. Okay, how about one of the things you loved most about humans?"

"Again, narrow it down a bit."

There was no point in hiding his grin. Reaching into the pack, he pulled out one of the items that North had made in time for him. "Dancing!" The skirt of the dress caught in the breeze. Seren stared at in surprise, her starlight eyes shifting between the item and Jack. She smiled softly, reaching out to run her thumbs over the soft fabric.

"But... How does—"

"Go on and change." Jack handed her the dress. "Quickly now. You'll see in just a minute." He ushered her along. While she went to change behind a nearby tree, Jack pulled out the remaining clothing that had been in the pack, the shirt and vest being for him. It felt odd to switch from his blue, frosted hoodie—he had worn that for many years now—but the freshly made shirt and vest were rather comfortable. The fabric was soft, as soft as her dress had been. He fingered the cuff. No frost had yet woven into the fabric. It was new and it was for him.

How many years had it been since he had actually gotten clothes from someone? Well, so North had given him gloves and a scarf a couple years ago, but that was not the same. The fabric was surprisingly warm against his skin, not yet adjusted to his cold body. It was nice...a shred of a life he had since lost.

"Did I put it on right?" Seren's voice pulled him from his wishful thoughts. Turning around, Jack saw her walking back to him, her hand holding up the hem of the dress a few more inches off the ground. His damping mood was washed away when he saw her in the white dress, gold trim and floral bodice adding nice accents. It looked better on her than how he had imagined it. It was a folksy dress, nothing too fancy or too constricting. The loose fabric would allow her to move easily when dancing, enjoying the full range of movement the energetic steps would bring.

"You look great. Just...one more thing." Tapping a finger to his chin, Jack looked her up and down.

"What is it?"

"Take off your boots?"

"What?" Seren furrowed her brow at him in confusion.

"Take off your boots!" Jack poked her feet with one of his own. "Trust me." She frowned curiously one more time at him before balancing on one foot to take off her boots. Inches above the ground, she hesitated. Tentatively, she placed it onto the soft ground, the blades of grass bending around her weight. A laugh escaped her, making Jack smile. No longer so hesitant, she hurried to take off her other to enjoy the feel of the grass as well.

Jack leaned against his staff, watching in amusement while she took several steps around in the new world. Such a little thing, one that he had been taking for granted for over three-hundred years, was a whole new experience for her. As much as he wanted to let her enjoy her new world, they were on a timer.

"Come on. It's about to start."

"What is?"

"You'll see!" Grinning, Jack took her hand and took her into the town. There was everyone, just as he expected. "Stay here." He gave her hand one last squeeze before letting go and continuing on his own. The chattering from everyone filled the air. For once, he did not mind not being seen by all the people around them. He felt a part of the social crowd, even without being seen. From across the way, he looked back at Seren who was standing there, rather confused.

The chatter died down and the people, who were largely women on one side and men on the other, shifted around. A fiddle rose up through the silence, with a drum creating the beat. Already Jack began to bounce on his heels to the beat. Bagpipes joined the mix, along with other instruments creating a folksy jig. Cheering, the woman danced across the floor, all but Seren. She was left there confused, looking at the others dancing.

After the woman finished their call, the men responded. Jack was even more glad to not be seen, since no one could see how he was not skilled at dancing. In the past few days, he had been practising. Memories from his old life had helped, for there had been fragmented moments that he had recalled of such gatherings, but they could only do so much. Compared to Seren, at least, he seemed like a master. Moving forward with the other men, Jack reached out and pulled Seren to his side.

The others formed groups, dancing in circles, their feet adding to the rhythm from the drum. In the rest of the commotion, the laughter and cheering from all of those having a fun time, they were in their own world. No one else could see them. Laughter from Seren was all that he heard. The more they danced, the more she became confident. Spinning around was easy for both of them, neither tripping over their own or each other's feet.

"Why is it you like dancing so much?" as Jack as they slowed. Everyone else moved around, keeping to the beat and the lively rhythm. As the world sped on around them, Jack pulled Seren closer to him. "When you talked about it, you really seemed to like it and yet you'd never tried it."

"Like everything else here, I could only watch. No matter how many things made me want to turn away, it was moments like dancing that mad me keep looking back. Dancing was just so...different. No matter how many things may be wrong, dancing can make it all better. It was...like freedom. A way to express yourself to or with others in ways stars never could. Just _look_ at everyone." Seren gestured to everyone around them. The groups had split off into smaller pairs, spinning around like Jack and Seren had been a few moments ago. "Each enjoying time with someone else, expressing their feelings, becoming lost in their own worlds... Stars can't have that. Ow! What was that for?"

Jack huffed, frowning at her. She rubbed her forehead where he had flicked her. "Silly. Have you forgotten the past few years? You _have_ gotten to experience that freedom now. Step by step, day by day." Smiling with a sigh, he planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "You don't need to always just _watch_ any more. You can experience everything you loved about this place, down to the smallest blade of grass." With a tug of her hand, Jack led her away from those still dancing.

"Are you Jack Frost?"

Stopping, Jack felt his breath catch in his throat. At first he looked to Seren, wondering if it had been her playing some trick on him. She stared back, as confused as he was before a grin tugged at her lips. With a nod, she tossed her head to the side, signalling for him to look. The Guardian slowly turned, daring himself to see if it was real or just his imagination.

A young girl stood near them, her curly red hair in a mess. Her bright green eyes were wide at him, as unsure about seeing him as he was for seeing her.

"That's me," he muttered, barely able to find his voice. Seren gave him a gentle nudge forward. Jack stumbled a little before kneeling before the young girl. Her eyes, still wide, studied him before she took a few more steps ward and reached for his hair. A chuckle escaped Jack, not having expect that reaction at all, but it was more than enough for her.

Smiling, she said, "Thank you for making it snow here over the winter! We don't get it often in these parts!"

"You're very welcome. Did you have fun in the snow?"

"Mhmm!" The little girl beamed at him. Another believer... Every one was precious to him. "Ah, who's that with you?"

"You...can see me too?" asked Seren.

Looking over his shoulder, Jack shot a grin to the blonde. Stars were not often seen when they visited worlds, if he remembered correctly. People expected to only see them in the skies at night, and so they would not see a star even if it were right in front of them.

"That's Seren...my very special star." Smiling once more, he looked back to the young girl. "And she's a special star for you too."

"Really?" If the young girl's eyes were to widen even more, they would no longer fit on her face.

"Yep! She can help you whenever you're lost. Just look for the North Star, and that's her helping to guide you."

"Carlyn! Come on love, we have to be going," called out an older voice.

"Go on. Your mother's waiting." Jack shooed her along, not wanting the young girl to get in trouble.

"Bye! And thank you both again!" The young girl hurried to her mother's side.

"Who were you talking to there, love?"

"Jack Frost and Seren!"

"That's nice."

Jack chuckled as he rose. It was such a expected response from a parent, not really believing, but not wanting to crush the dreams of the child.

"See? I'm sure more people believe in the stars than you think."

"But she could see you. Didn't that mea—"

"It meant a lot, as much as any child believing and seeing me." Jack smiled softly, recalling that night when Jamie first saw him, the first time _any_ human had seen him. Turning around, he wrapped his arms around Seren and placed his forehead on hers. "But she was the first human to see _you _when on Earth. And that is the most important one. Believe me."

She hugged him expectantly, burying her head in his shoulder. "Thank you..."

"What for?" he asked, patting her gently when he heard her tone of voice.

"Step by step, you've helped to give me the one thing I never dreamed of having." She gave him a soft kiss. "You managed to change my fate..."

* * *

**A/N:** This is what happens when you rewatch Riverdance and get inspiration.

Anyway, this was the last one-shot I had written. I currently have another one planned, but it's going slowly and starting to feel "meh" about it. I dunno. If anyone has any suggestions they'd like to see for something between these two, I am more than open to suggestions! But I do hope that those of you that have read all of these enjoyed the stories!

Also, I have decided to write the main story, that this and One More Night are meant to follow. It will also be a bit slow, since I have work to deal with, but I will try to get the first chapter up as soon as I can. So those that want to read more, keep an eye out!


End file.
